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!

Mary Cheney

We all know by now that Ms. Cheney is expecting a baby with her longtime partner. What we had not heard were comments from the Bush Administration regarding her pregnancy. Now of course, the reporters had to ask and it was up to GW whether or not he was going to answer the questions.

Well, yesterday.......through an interview with People Magazine and his spokesman Tony Snow...........he did.

People reports that Bush said ""I think Mary is going to be a loving soul to her child," Bush said in an interview with People magazine. "And I'm happy for her."

Tony Snow wrapped up the President's comments by saying while the President is happy for her he has not changed his own personal opinion that a child should be raised by a father and a mother. "But he also believes that every human life is sacred and that every child who comes into this world deserves love," Snow said. "And he believes that Mary Cheney's child will, in fact, have loving parents."

In other words, GW is saying - Sure glad it ain't my daughters.

Honestly, I could care less if Mary Cheney has one child or ten children. I personally do not think that she has helped the gay and lesbian climate in America. She had a podium to do so, but like her own father, she chose to take the "quiet road" and be the dutiful Republican to a christian right Bush Administration.

Mary Cheney's pregnancy was an opportunity for Dick and GW to clear away the hate and ignorance that is spewed upon gays and lesbians who want to be treated fairly and raise a loving family in peace.

Instead, we continue to have silence from all camps and it is "business as usual" until 2008.

So long, farewell, we bid you all goodbye!

Let us all take a moment of silence to reflect on all of the sad little Republicans who are cleaning out their offices this weekend for the very last time! Time is up!

The 109th Republican led Congress is officially no more and it is time to prepare for the Democratic rebellion!

Speaker Pelosi, grab that gavel and get the feel of it in your hands! Exercise your wrist!

2007 is really going to be fun!

Civil War?

A variety of news teams are now officially calling the atmosphere in Iraq a "civil war". And really, who can blame them? After months and months of denials from the White House about what is going on over there even Ray Charles could see what is happening.

Today, it was reported that we are moving 30,000 troops out of one of the provinces to Baghdad because it has been determined that the fighting is so fierce with Al Qaida that we will not win. Fabulous.

I wonder when we will come to that realization about the whole damn war.

Bobby

From time to time, there are movies released in theaters that are really worth the $10 entry fee - Bobby is that movie.

I was two years old when RFK was killed at the Ambassador Hotel so I don't have any recollection of that time period. This movie really hits an emotional nerve. It is powerful, humorous and solid in its storytelling of this tragic event. You get an inside look at normal people going about their daily lives preparing for RFK's visit.

The story is woven around RFK's basic philosophies on life, politics and human decency. Film clips of his presidential campaign, family life and political viewpoints are scattered throughout this movie. You just don't focus on his tragic death but more so on his reason for living.

After the movie, TC and I both wondered what would life be like now if RFK had lived and became President? Would the world and our nation be a much different place? I was amazed at the striking similarities of what is going on today versus what was happening in 1968.

This movie really highlights how devastating the 60's were for the U.S. Three great leaders cut down at the time when the country needed them the most. RFK's death was the final blow to the stomach. It knocked the wind completely out of this country. You feel it yourself in watching this film.

If you have not seen this movie yet, do not wait for the DVD. It is well worth the money for such insight into this period in our nations history.

Ohio State vs. Michigan

Oh good gawd........could there be any bigger matchup in college football? I know that there are other matchups out there that people feel passionate about, but I think this one is framed in sweat, blood and tears.

The hype in Ohio is awesome....huge even! I mean.....this year is bigger than it ever has been in all the years that these two teams have engaged in this battle. The OSU coach Woody Hayes started this venerable, clash of the titans. He inspired the "we can't stand 'em" attitude. This just isn't a game. If the Buckeye fans could dig Woody up and prop him up on the field.....they would do it!

I have a friend who attended OSU and she is a manic, stark raving mad fan. She bleeds scarlet and gray! This matchup is the matchup that Emily waits for all year. Any other game.....is just that......just another game. This game......winning or losing season......is about pride. It's all about beating Michigan baby. Nothing more and nothing less.

We will all gather together tomorrow....OSU grads or not........and support this battle. This is the climax to a fabulous, over-the-top season. Both teams have excellent records. The winner of this game will feel the emotion shared by many players that have passed before them. Decades of fierce rivalry that comes down to this one game.

This year, the National Championship is the reward. But don't let anyone fool you, any OSU alumni will tell you.........no matter what happens with the season.........it's all about this game and nothing else.

Go Bucks!

O.J.

You gotta be kiddin me..........we're going to be hypothetical about it???!!!

No more media coverage for this piece o' work.......

The Bungling Bengals

There are just so many things I can say about this pathetic Bengals season. Today, we squandered a 21 point lead and let the Chargers come back and beat us 49 to 41. Agghhhhhh!

The first half was pure offensive brilliance. Carson Palmer was on fire! He passed for 421 yards today! Then came the second half..........sheer domination by the Chargers.

I was reading some of the blog comments on the Bengals page this evening and I think I will let a few of their comments sum everything up. These are actual comments from the Bengals blog.

• NOBODY TOUCHED HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!
• Shoot me now!
• Why are the football god punishing us?
• im changing the channel. this is going downhill TOO fast
• i cant deal with my team any more. i'm literally sick to my stomach
• Forget that. I'll shoot myself.
• even a FG won't give us a tie anymore.. didnt we have a 10 Pt lead 15 minutes ago?
• I refuse to call us the Bungle.............but it is looking mighty familiar.
• Someone shoot this defense. I say they call 11 seat numbers and suit up 11 people from the crowd.
• there is no god
• oh ######!!!!!!!!!! OH ###### OH ######!!
• What kind of stupid play is that?
• How is it possible to score 41 points and lose?
• oh God... I just sneezed beer out my nose... that stings.
• Can we get a turnover PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!
• wow game over baby game over

And my personal favorite:

• Jets just beat the Patriots......

Impeachment?

There are a lot of lively conversations on talk radio these days since the Democrats have won the majority in both houses. One of the topics of discussion is investigating possible crimes and misdemeanors committed by George Bush since he has been in office and whether or not there should be impeachment hearings for those crimes. The reaction to impeachment hearings is mixed.

While I believe that GW's actions should be investigated and publicized for the world to see, I am not in favor of impeachment and let me tell you why. GW has two years left in office. By the time both houses waste precious energy in gathering, documenting and validating all of his actions for impeachment, he could have less than 6 months left in office. Removing him at that point serves no purpose and leaves Dick Cheney to run the White House. It also puts the Democrats way behind in their promise to clean things up and right the wrongs that GW has already committed. This will create ample fodor for Republicans in the next Presidential election and could hurt Democrats overall.

We all remember the standstill when Congress went after Bill Clinton. It was their primary focus and nothing else was accomplished. Do we really want that now when we have just won a major victory in Washington? I believe it is better for both houses to come into session and begin cleaning house. The world sees the Democratic victory as a blow to the Bush Administration and as a sharp turn to the left in regards to healing our relationships with other key nations.

Vengence should not be the modus of operandi at this moment. We should use this momentum to enact great change and prepare for the next election. Everything that is accomplished with the new majority can be used by every candidate that runs in the future.

We have seen plenty of bad decisions in the last six years. GW is now a lame duck president with no spending money. Let him sit back and watch as the country is rebuilt around him. This in itself is far more amusing than impeachment.

No more capital for George Bush!

After a higher than expected turnouts at the polls in all areas of the country, the citizens of America have prevailed in sending a clear message to George Bush..........no more spending money!

Not only did Democrats gain the 15 seats they needed to control the House - they picked up an additional 10! The Senate race is still too close to call with recounts occuring in Virginia and Montana. James Webb (Va) had the lead at the end of the night but with such a close margin of victory it pays to be sure.

What we also know..........is we have a new Speaker of the House - a strong woman - Nancy Pelosi! Bye bye Mr. Hastert. No more coverups for your cronies and no more lies.

Already the news reports out of Bagdhad today have the government officials advising "US" that we should not pull out of Iraq and that our President is the main decision maker and he is still in office. Wait...........you are going to advice us what to do? I think Iraqi officials should be more concerned about the violence and civil unrest in their own country before they start handing out advice to the United States.

A clear message was sent back to George Bush yesterday. American's are not happy and we do have control over what goes on in Washington. If we turn out in droves, we can defeat any voting irregularities and set things back to a rational perspective.

Democratic nonsense

Ok everyone.........we are "THIS" close to an election. Can someone please shut John Kerry up? I mean really.......we want control of the House and the Senate for crying out loud!! The Republicans are doing a really great job of crucifying themselves without any help from the Democratic side.

This is the time to keep the humorous jabs to ourselves and talk about what has not happened in Washington for the last six years! Keep your eyes on the goal! Stick with hard hitting commentaries on George Bush and his policies, the war in Iraq, North Korea, soaring gas prices privatizing Social Security and how everyone else in the free world can't stand us at this point because of "Dubya"!

The last thing we need is for the tables to turn against us less than one week before an election. Keep it positive folks! Gloat after we have regained majority seats in the House or Senate! We have not won this thing yet and we can't act like we are in the home stretch when we actually have 10 more miles to run!

Someone save us from ourselves!

Ghosts

So do you believe........in ghosts? Or are you a skeptic when it comes to all things metaphysical and ghoulish?

I must say I do believe in ghosts. Have I ever seen one? Nope. Do I want to have a ghostly experience? You bet!

Much to the chagrin of "TC" I watch most of the ghost shows on cable. "Most Haunted" is one of my favorites. I am not talking about the movie of the week here. I like the true life stories of haunted houses and ghostly apparitions. TC won't have any of it. The thought of watching Ghost Whisperer sends her into momentary panic. She scares a bit easily so she can only handle it in small doses. Needlesstosay, we won't be watching The Exorcist tomorrow evening.

Did you know that you can "catch" ghostly voices on digital recording devices? Yep. If you are in a house which has a ghost, you can turn the recorder on and actually try to have a conversation with the ghost. When you playback the digital recording, you may pick up something you didn't hear when you thought you were talking to yourself. Yeah ok..........I may have sounded a bit techno-geekish there for a minute but I am determined to try that out myself one day. All the ghost hunters use them.

Perhaps I will have an encounter one day with a ghost. I am hoping that it is a friendly one and not one that means to wreak complete havoc with my life. Until then, I will continue to watch my television shows and live vicariously through the real life ghost hunters.

On a lighter note.........before I end my post this evening..........I have finally reached my 101st Blog entry. The magical 100 has been broken without any pomp and circumstance. What fun this has been for the last 14 months!

Happy Halloween!!

Musical interlude

I cannot remember if I have posted about this or not.........in any case.....the new Pink CD is divine. Yes yes......so I am 40 and I listen to Pink. Honestly.....I have been a fan since her very first CD. This one however, this one is really solid. Pink has really matured with her latest release and it is worth a listen.

I am enclosing a couple of her videos from her latest CD. Unfortunately, she has not released a video of "Dear Mr. President" but I am hopeful she will throw something out there for that fabulous song! There are quite a few folks who have made their own video montage to the song so maybe she will just let it ride that way.

Anyway.......view away and if you get a chance........listen to the whole CD once to give me your honest opinion.

Nobody Knows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDLZI36JdWY&eurl=

Who Knew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R6vBHmO4-0&mode=related&search=

Electoral counts

Here is a pretty cool site I found recently that researches and analyzes the Congressional Senate and House seats up for grabs in the upcoming election.

http://www.electoral-vote.com/index.html

I have also added two new graphs to the right of this post that automatically updates the "projected" seat wins on a day by day basis up until election time. -------------------->

Independence Day draws near

This is the time. I've been chattin it up off and on throughout the last year and we are finally here. It is election time and it is time for you to go and vote.

I don't need to talk about the issues. We have heard them played and replayed over television broadcasts, news reports, TV and radio talk shows for the last six years.

It is time for a change. A vote for a Republican is a vote for George Bush.....again. The Republicans are trying to separate themselves from him but they cannot. We all know that if we have a Republican led House and Senate we are giving Bush two more years of spending cash to buy whatever he likes.

It is time for the madness to stop. The carousel ride must come to a screeching halt. Do your duty and go to the polls on November 7th. There has never been a more important time to exercise your right to vote.