Winter Olympics

I must say I have been a bit disappointed with our representatives to the Winter Games this year. Not crushed....just disappointed. I'm certainly not losing sleep over the fact that Bode isn't all what he was reported to be....although he is some of what was reported. Michelle Kwan's struggle to get that coveted spot on the figure skating team only to withdrawl was a bit unexpected but I wasn't truly shocked. I can tell you what did surprise me was the 50something woman known as "Grandma" in the Luge event. Sliding down the track in honor of all older women everywhere! Could you hear the trumpets and the cymbals crashing as you read that statement?

Where are the truly magnanimous athletes of old? Scotty Hamilton, Picabo Street, Katerina Witt? Ahhhh yes.....Katerina.

Anyway.........where are the athletes to rally behind? Are we seeing sooo much of the Olympic Games that they are now common place and worn out? Can you hum the Olympic theme backwards while drinking a glass of water standing on your head? Maybe we should only see them every four years period and not scattered every two years between Winter and Summer.

I mean really......if we are now watching 50 year old people participating in the Olympics.....doesn't it make you wonder about the variety of conditioned, talented athletes that are out there?

Before anyone gets carried away.....thinking they too can participate in the Olympics....let me clarify. Skiing down the Italian Alps really is more scary in person.......the Luge is not glorified sled riding and Curling is certainly not shuffleboard on ice for beer bellied men over the age of 50.

Wow........now there's an image.

Headline of the Week

Bush urges end to cartoon violence


This is funny on so many levels...................

No where to run or hide

President Bush took his lumps today at the Coretta Scott King's funeral. Several black pastors and even Jimmy Carter himself took a swipe or two at good ol' Dubya.

"She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there," said Rev. Joseph Lowery.

Of course.....the crowd cheered but the cameras didn't dare pan left or right where other U.S. notables were sitting. Hillary probably had a hard time containing a chuckle.

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

Speaking of no where to run or hide........one of the "enterainment" shows on television this evening reported (and showed rehersal footage) that Barry Manilow will be performing a "medley" of songs for the Grammy's tomorrow night. The poor guy looks like he is about dead!
He did some kind of foot stepping that resembled a 90 year old man at a Sweetheart Dance in a nursing home! I know.....I am being harsh. Maybe he has something BIG planned for tomorrow night. Come on Barry........at least a sequenced jacket!

Human-Animal Hybrids?

Yikes!

I would be remiss if I didn't comment on this item that was a part of GW's State of the Union last night. Now, I am against cloning of animals and humans. Let's just put that out on the table right now. However, the whole Human-Animal Hybrid thing caught my attention and I just have to ask a question.

Does anyone else think that in the next 30 to 40 years their next door neighbor will have a child with an elephant's snout and an appetite for peanuts?? Or maybe instead of having a butt as big as a horse.....they actually have a horses butt? I mean......we all have someone at our workplace who is just a total jackass. Is this now going to be literal??

I dunno........methinks GW has gone a little left of center on this one.

Iraq

I wanted to do this post in typical Rosie fashion (in Haiku) but I decided that would be too much of an effort on a President who needs to move along.

Is anyone else disturbed by the latest hostage offering? Granted, Jill Carroll is in Iraq under her own volition. She is a freelance journalist for the Christian Science Monitor. She didn't have to be there. She thought she could go and make a difference......to document the good things that were happening in Iraq. She is now the latest in a list of hostages that have been snatched since this "war" started.

Should we dare consider ourselves lucky that we haven't had more American hostages taken? I can't help but to look at the latest video offered by Al-Jeezera and feel increased disdain on why we are still there. Why does Jill Carroll have to be the latest victim? She is obviously no threat to the terrorist agenda. The pure agony on her face is enough for anyone to think..........what happens next? Would they dare behead her on television? They have done it before it grand style.

We are less than thirty minutes away from the State of the Union Address. The President is seeing the lowest approval numbers than any President in history and his speech will surely reflect some of the same sentiment as the last 5 years. Betcha he will speak for all of us tonight in his speech. "America remains strong and we will hold our ground and not back down to terrorists".

Will Jill Carroll pay the ultimate price for GW's speech tonight? Will she be just one of many Americans who have died at the hands of a terroristic band of thugs? Can you imagine what it would be like to have your entire life in someone else's hands? She has hopes and dreams just like any other Twentysomething. She deserves to fulfill some of those dreams.

No matter what happens...........you cannot stop time. With each tick of the clock, time is slowly chipping away at GW's presidency. The American people are not buying the rhetoric anymore. Mr. President, we want you to keep this country safe. Its time that the troops come home and begin protecting the USA.

I survived!

Well......I survived turning 40. After a busy busy weekend ringing it in I have had a non-stop busy week to ring it out with!

A couple of reflections on some current events.........

• Cheer up Oprah. You aren't the first person to review and support a disceptive story. We have had to endure President Bush for the last five years. Now there's a book!
• We now know who will play in Superbowl 40. Go Seahawks! Reviewing the Steelers film over the last couple of weeks should give you some tips to win. Pssst.......it's all about the knees.
• "Miss Scarlett, Miss Scarlett! The Republicans are running Washington like a plantation!" Hmmmm......come to think of it.....the White House does look like Tara. Thanks Hillary!
• What was I listening to before Sirius??
• The Army is stretched too thin. Rumsfeld denies report. Bush agrees with Rumsfeld. Condeleeza nods politely. Business as usual.

I think you can consider yourself caught up.

Satellite Radio

After weeks of researching the two main satellite radio services (XM & Sirius), I bought my first radio and installed it in my truck today. I had heard good things about satellite radio service but up until a couple of weeks ago I didn't actually sit down and investigate the options.

I guess what you are thinking is "Why pay for radio?". Well....depending on what city you live in, the variety of music stations and talk stations vary greatly. Satellite provides a broader scope and more music format choices. I am no longer limited to what is available in Cincinnati. This is a conservative town and the liberal voices and opinions just aren't available.

After reviewing the formats offered by both XM Radio and Sirius, I chose Sirius. Now.....to be honest....XM is number one in this industry. They do offer a few more music choices as well as MLB, Nascar, NHL and the PGA Tour. While I play golf myself, I get a little frightened by the notion that someone is actually listening to a PGA golf broadcast on the radio.

Sirius offered a couple of compelling stations that I just couldn't live without. The main one being the NFL channels. Imagine it........any NFL game playing at any time. Moreover, I can now listen to my favorite NFL team when I leave Cincinnati and continue to listen to it while I cross the countryside. No static and no station fade. Now that is fabulous.

They also offer more liberal broadcasting alternatives than XM. OutQ is solely aimed at the gay and lesbian audience. I was listening to it this afternoon and I must say I found it quite addicting. With approximately 100 stations available.........how could I ever be bored with radio again?

They also have the standard music choices......70's, 80's, Hip Hop, Rap, Country, Rock etc. You can't go wrong with a station dedicated only to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and one station dedicated to Elvis. Thank ya, thank ya vera much.

Technology is a grand thing and I love being submersed in the latest and greatest!

Ta Ta!

Tick tock, tick tock

That is the sound of the Aging Clock.

In one week, I reach the first milestone in the aging process. I am turning 40. Not 40 cartwheels......just 40. Now for some of my friends......its not about the number.....its all about the way you feel.

Well......I feel like I am 22. Can I do some of the things I could do when I was 22? No. Do I want to do some of the things that I did at 22? Heck no! One would hope that with age comes a bit of maturity. Hope is the keyword there for some people I have known in my lifetime.

Forty years is a long time. It's approximately the half way mark of the average lifespan of women in the United States. So this gives me the pause to reflect on this landmark birthday.

I have to think back to when I was 25 or so to remember conversations with other people who were turning 40. "Thank God" I thought "that's a long way off for me". Yet in a week......here it comes. It feels like those first 40 years flew by. In reality though........time is time and I didn't lose a minute in all of those years.

Sure........reflecting back.....there are things that I would have done differently. I made some mistakes.......handled some things badly..........but who hasn't? We are human after all.

So this week I am taking a look back at the last 40 while I prepare for the next 40. I am trying to keep things in perspective and look forward to the next major chapter in my lifetime.

Am I celebrating? Ohhh yes. I have a manic weekend planned to ring in the beginning of the next chapter. I can't stop time and I cannot stop the labels that the aging process brings but I can ignore the labels and move forward in grand fashion.

Here's to everyone who turns 40 this year. May it be as fun for you as it will be for me!

Cheers!

Bengals Opponents - 2006

The NFL released the matchups for 2006 today. Keep in mind there are no dates for these games as of yet. Here is how the Bengals faired.

HOME
Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta, Carolina, New England

AWAY
Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Denver, Kansas City, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis

Between the Uprights

Wow......where do I begin this morning? First off, congratulations is due to the Bengals and Marvin Lewis for a tremendous effort in the 2005 season. They brought many fans great joy and hope with their performance on the field and we can expect only great things next season.

Now let's take a step back to last night's game against Pittsburgh. The game was over soon after the coin toss when Carson Palmer took a hit from a Steelers player on the second play. Does anyone "want" to believe that another person would maliciously attack another individual? No.....no one "wants" to believe that, but random acts of violence happen every day in our society.

Do I believe it was a deliberate hit? Yes I do. Now......no coach or player is ever going to admit that they deliberately went after a player. How stupid would that be? They would be penalized on the field and off the field with a huge fine. Instead, the player who took Carson out just stood there and clapped his hands together as if to say "Oh gawd.....what did I do?" Pffft......please.

What you didn't see via the televised broadcast was the Steelers team jumping up and down in jubilation after the play. We found this tidbit of information in reports after the game by the fans who were in attendance.

You can watch the replays all you want. Some say that the Steelers player simply bumped into Palmer as a result of a tackle. Hmmmm.......if that was true, then why was his arm tightly around Palmer's leg? The Steelers were threatened and they responded to the threat. They knew who the backup quarterback was and they knew of his reputation..........he was beatable.

So......while I would love to believe that this incident against Carson Palmer was a fluke.......I cannot. The replays do not prove it to me and the player's remarks do not prove it to me.

As for Carson, reports after the game last night say he has a torn ACL and MCL. He will be recovering from this for the next six months.

The 2005 season is over................on to 2006!

Mining Disaster

Disaster is the keyword here.

In hindsight, we all have an opinion on this one. Clearly, the jump to jubilation of surviving miners two miles under the earth was a grievous error. This simply started a tidal wave of early celebrations by the CEO of the mining company and the Governor of West Virginia. A decision that will haunt both of these men for a long time. Will it cost either one a career? Undoubtedly, after a Congressional Inquiry and during a long gubernatorial race for which all of the safety concerns will be dredged to the surface.

The Federal Govt and the White House have already started the process for opening investigations into this incident. The WH Press Secretary stated that GW has had an aggressive mining regulation agenda filled with heavy fines and penalties based on mine safety. Hmmm...interesting. Maybe I missed that due to the other coverage that GW has received (IRAQ, Afghanistan, etc).

In any case........the emotional turmoil dumped on to the family members of these miners was unnecessary and unforgivable. Yes....mining is an ugly job and it involves great risks to human life. This is something the family members of miners live with every day of their lives. They did not ask for the additional emotional baggage brought on by the miscommunication and ineptness of this mining company.

Stay tuned..........

Resolutions

At the beginning of each year, we all ponder the ways for which we can "do better" in the coming year. Some of us choose to make concrete resolutions and some of us just ponder the idea and decide against it.

For those of us who are still pondering, I have created a suggestion list of New Year's resolutions that might be interesting to you.

In 2006, I am going to:

• go to church every Sunday
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• lose 50 pounds
• stop smoking
• take the dog on longer walks
• argue less with my next door neighbor
• work on my road rage
• eat out more so I have less dishes at home for someone else to wash
• buy a bigger outdoor grill so I can eat at home more often
• drink fewer margaritas
• hire a maid
• alleviate stress at work by sleeping in an extra hour each day
• not make any resolutions that interfere with my current "Quality of Life"!

So who says that resolutions have to be restricting? Can't they be fun? A worthwhile resolution in any form can increase everyone's QOL in 2006.

Have fun with it and relax. You have 364 more days to think up a new one!

Auld Lang Syne

I guess we all have our own ways of ringing in the new year. Some of us will go out with friends or attend a party and some of us may just stay at home with our eyelids propped open to watch the ball drop on TV. Some folks will just head to bed around 10pm just to be awakend at midnight by rowdy neighbors!

For many years, the U.S. television networks have all had their own New Year's Eve telecasts. Remember Guy Lombardo? Yikes! He was a favorite of my grandparents. Yeah.....they really rocked on New Year's.

My favorite has been Dick Clark's Rockin Eve. He has been a fan favorite for at least 20 years. I am not really sure how long he has hosted the New Year's telecast but it seems that I don't remember too many years that didn't include Dick Clark. With the exception of last year when he suffered a stroke and millions of us thought we would have a stroke too as we endured Regis Philbun for the evening.

This year the show will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark. According to news reports, this is Dick's big "handoff" as host of the yearly telecast. Ryan Seacrest currently hosts the ever popular "American Idol". Now, I don't know about you, but have you seen Dick Clark since he has had his stroke? I am envisioning a "Weekend at Bernie's" type of a broadcast. Dick just standing there and Ryan swinging his arm around and lip syncing for him. Yes......it is a pitiful image.

Now I have not seen a picture of Dick since the stroke. I don't think one has been publicized. Recent news reports say that Dick will not be in a wheelchair during the broadcast and his voice is not quite what it once was but he does sound like Dick Clark. How reassuring is that?

I will be waving a grand farewell to 2005 tomorrow night. Here's hoping that Dick Clark makes it through the broadcast!

Happy New Year!

Picture of the Month

Cosmo - Mr. January - Playcat of the Month

(Susan R. - proud parent)

Ode to Rosie

haiku haiku
what does it
mean
to u

so simple
elementary
really

miss ur
verbose
opinions

now left
with
riddle
conversations

life is busy
for u
i am sure

no need
for u
to be
demure

Christmas Returns

So how did you do with your Christmas presents? Were your gifts met with bewildered looks? Questionable stares? Better yet.........."Oh I absolutely love this! Where did you get it"? In other words......I would absolutely love to take this back to that store because this gift is obviously suited for someone else.

Ah yessss....it happens. And it did happen to me. My father didn't like the gas card I chose for him because his gas station allegiances run deeper than I imagined. My mother was also a bit disappointed with the flannel pajamas I gave her because "Small" seemed to be a bit large. Arguing the point that pajamas do not normally run in "Petites" was a bit more of a discussion than I wanted to have at that point.

I am making notes of this on my blog this evening so I have a written history for next year. For better or for worse, it starts all over again in 365 days.

May I grow a little wiser in 2006.............

Christmas shopping

I don't know about you but I always struggle with gift buying for a few of my relatives. Either they already "have everything" or I simply cannot gauge just what they would like for a present.

My 75 year old father is a tough one for me. Unlike Tom Cruise, he is no couch jumper. I have found that the less my father says when he opens his present the more he likes it. It has taken me years of buying the wrong present to figure out this reaction. This I know..........hats are not popular but 25 inch TV's are a hit.

Since I cannot buy him a television every year, nor does he need one every year, I think I have managed to find at least one present he will definitely use - a gas card. Most everyone I know, including my father, drives a car. With the price of gas these days (anywhere from 2.14 to 2.25 a gallon in Cincinnati) I figure this will surely be received with little or no reaction which means....he absolutely loves it. I did go out on a limb a buy one more item for him so I feel like I will be relatively successful this year.

So for those of us who still have to shop.......my suggestion to you is to go the easiest route. Grab a gift card for food or gas. The one thing you can be sure of is that we all have to eat and most of us still have to drive.

Merry Christmas!

Between the Uprights

WHO DEY!

I know what I have to say will come as a shock to some of you, so I will give you a moment to grab a glass of water or the nearest chair.

The Bengals are going to the playoffs!

Yes....I know it is unbelievable but after 15 years my hometown team is heading into post-season play! It has made things so much more exciting around Cincinnati these days! It is certainly a great day to be a football fan in Cincinnati!

Granted......this is our first year back to the playoffs. Enthusiasm is running high and our guard is up even higher! Nevertheless.......all the little "who deys" in "Whodeyville" are hopeful and excited about the future!

By the way...........for my friends out there who don't know the Who Dey chant. Let me end this note with the proper send off......

Who Dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?

Knockin' on the closet door

This weekend, as my companion and I were driving around town listening to Christmas tunes on the radio, a Barry Manilow Christmas tune came on. This got me thinking.

Why doesn't he come out of the damn closet?

I mean really. Is there anyone in the gay and lesbian community who doesn't think he is the "Queen" of the syrupy ballads? It calls to mind the sad life of Liberace. By no means do I want to read about his demise and watch some 26 year old boyfriend surface to tell us all about the life he had with him. Can you see that happening? Egads

Now, I don't mind Barry Manilow's music. God knows, I sang my share of his songs in high school chorus. He has had great success worldwide. However, let's think about some of his songs. Is "Mandy" really "Randy"? What about that "Weekend in New England" (at some fabulous B & B)?
Is there a closeted hidden meaning in there somewhere? Should I be chuckling out loud when my mother hums "Can't Smile Without You"?

Barry.......listen up babe.....its easy. Melissa did it. Ellen did it. Come on out of the closet........the water is fine and little old ladies will still come to see you in Vegas.

Between the Uprights!

How about those Cincinnati Bengals! They faced one of their toughest competitors this past Sunday when they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals lost their last meeting with the Steelers in Cincinnati several weeks ago. Yesterday, they beat them in Pittsburgh 38-31 reinforcing the fact that they have moved away from the "Bungles" of old.

Many of you may not realize what kind of game this was to the Bengals and the Cincinnati fans. The Steeler fans have been serving it up to Cincinnati faithful for the last five years with their taunts, jeers and overall bad behavior.

Today, the fans in Cincinnati couldn't be more happy about the win. Happy is probably an understatement. The Bengals are finally playoff bound! The first time in 15 years.

WHO DEY!