Phoning it in

Short and sweet is what I’m planning to do today.

For a couple reasons.

First, I got to bed really late last night, like 1:00 AM kind of late. A full three hours past my standard bedtime. And still two past my Friday night bedtime. Second, because even though I’m exhausted and kind of cranky pants this morning there’s commerce to visit.

Because, our coffee maker died. Do I even have to say the hell no that should accompany that phrase? Matt has been heating water in the microwave and pouring it directly over the grounds to brew our coffee the last two days.

And while I love him for helping me keep the inner monster at bay (READ: what I do before 10 AM while under-caffeinated would be a solid defense strategy), he can’t keep doing that.

It’s a pain in the ass for one, and also, the coffee is really weak.

The reason I long for stronger java this morning is because we went over to Phoenix International Raceway last night to spend time with Matt’s parental type folks. As NASCAR fans they come out from California twice a year and immerse themselves into the little city that the parking lot next to the track becomes.

With the grandstand holding about 67,000 people, seated, and thousands of people just camping to watch the race on television while day drinking and embracing general debauchery, things can understandably get a little wild.

Last night we spent about five hours hanging out and in that time I personally took part in, or at least witnessed:

• Too many trips to a port-a-potty.
• Hearing a story about a kid swimming inside the toilet of a port-a-potty and coming out looking like a Smurf.
• Both male and female boob grabs.
• Outdoor carne asada fajita consumption.
• Being in the “way back” of a golf cart and realizing that the girl driving the one behind us was too young to understand what I was doing when I made the internationally known symbol for “honk the horn, trucker!”
• Holding on for dear life while the golf carts raced each other out to the Busch Gardens stage and bar.
• A local musician, Harry Luge, with a pretty rockin’ band and a fun rock-country vibe.
• A guy dressed in overalls and a cowboy hat with a sheriff badge attached and matching silver, star shaped nipple covers (because, you know, some guys are modest).
• Leaving about 15 minutes too late as we walked back to the car in a wind-driven dust storm.

Between weak coffee, lack of sleep, and a sea of cowboy hats, I don’t have anything in my head right now (other than wanting to wake Matt up so we can get this show on the road, divide and conquer, and finish our shopping so we can get home and spend the rest of the weekend binging Fringe).

I’ll just leave you with the last song I remember hearing on the radio outside the RV last night while we talked and ate, Hello.

 

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In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

You Knew I’d Get Around to it Eventually

Hockey playoffs are just around the corner.  I’m surprised no one asked where all my Bruins posts were hiding yet.  Oh wait, no I’m not.  Most of my readers have no interest in the Bruins or hockey.  Well, sorry, you’re getting it anyway.

First of all, if you do like hockey, know anything about the Bruins or just want a good laugh, this video is a must see.

Classic, right?  Well I think it is, and I know my Aunt thinks it is as well because we’re both complete and utter dork fans who are in love with how the Bruins personnel/player’s personalities come shining through in the video.  And who doesn’t love Bears?  Especially Bears that vacuum and use a typewriter.

Watching this and receiving the email in the picture at the top of this post really got me thinking about a couple things in the past week. 

The team has struggled on and off this season.  It started out being called the Stanley Cup hangover.  Then they won every single game in November.  For those keeping track that’s thirteen straight games.  Then they won another 9 out of 12 in December.  The team literally went from worst to first in a matter of weeks.  And we’ve been pretty content to hover near the top of the Eastern Conference standings for the rest of the season.

But something was still off.  Something wasn’t really clicking, it didn’t feel the same as last season’s magic and it was like everyone, including the players, could feel it.

Last week I figured out exactly what it was - they became way too serious and they lost their fun.

During most of last season there was the infamous jacket that Andy Ference bought on eBay.  The jacket got passed around from teammate to teammate after each game to congratulate who they felt had a stellar performance.  At the Stanley Cup banner raising the jacket was presented as a final parting gift to Mark Recchi who retired after last season.  I think I cried a little as the jacket, and my favorite player, would no longer grace the locker room.  The jacket was hideous and barely fit any of the guys.  But it was inspirational, and hilarious.  It was just plain fun.

Last year The Bear and his cantankerous attitude owned Boston, he was everywhere.  He ran around making commercials that berated those who did not respect the game.  He told fans that it was never okay to date a Philly fan, even if she shaved her moustache.  He did a victory dance after every win.

He was the epitome of the attitude of Boston – yeah I’m tough but I’m too cute for anyone to worry about that…unless they poke me, then all bets are off.  The Bear was just fun.

The guys pranked each other and we heard about it all.  They became the people’s team again.  And an entire city stood behind them as they won a Cup that was a long time coming.  Despite bitten fingers and scary as hell concussions in the Finals, the team pulled together, tossed out any thoughts of dirty play, and simply, flat out, won.

They went out on that ice and worked hard but mostly they just had fun.

This year has been different.  Despite one or two funny, locally seen commercials for retail outlets, injuries plagued almost half the starting lineup by mid-season and it took an emotional toll.  New guys did and didn’t seem to gel with the style of the team’s play (I’m looking at you Corvo, get it together man!).  Refs once again seemed to have it in for us this season (Read: every season since our induction into the league, sorry but I speak the truth).

But unlike last season where we brushed it all off and just laughed about it, this year everyone seemed to take it to heart and let it in.  We stopped having fun.  Even Thomas started to look off his game. 

Then a funny thing happened.  We lost a game in such grand fashion a couple weeks ago to the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning that even I was questioning my team.  Our backup goalie Turco got the start, was pulled for Thomas (who desperately needed a night off after Rask was injured a few games before), and then Turco went back in because Timmy couldn’t get it done either.  No one seemed to know how to skate, puck handle, pass, or connect with each other.  But that’s not the funny thing.  The funny thing was that the entire team seemed to share a collective sigh.

I think someone finally poked The Bear because since then we’ve only lost 2 games.

Something in the team clicked. A light bulb went off.  The fear of not making the playoffs wasn’t it.  The chance of a defending Cup team not getting to the big dance wasn’t it.  They all got a good healthy fish-slap and started smiling again.

That’s when “The Bear & The Gang” video came out.  The Bear was back.  The fun was back.  The vibe was rekindled.  The guys were back to their old selves again.  They got on the ice and for better or worse they just remembered to have fun.

With playoff tickets going on sale tomorrow I’m brought back to last season when my Aunt and I spent a small fortune on tickets to Game 4 against Philly.  A game I just knew in my heart we were going to win. A series I just knew in my heart we were going to sweep.  A series win that we’d be in the building to experience.  It was magical.  It was inspired hockey.  It was FUN.

As we come into the last week of the regular season I’m hoping the team can keep the vibe of fun going.  That they can keep enjoying each other out there on the ice again as the season wraps up and we move into the playoffs.  I hope they keep their spark of good fun and go out there to show Boston we can do it all again.

And hey, if it’s any kind of fate, one of the Cup wins in the 70's was during the years ending in a 1 & a 2.  Not sayin’ anything, just sayin’.

A Thirty Day Revival!

For my blog that is! It’s been a terrible six months as far as keeping up with stuff like this but I keep narrowing down in my brain what’s really important to me and what isn’t. I keep coming back to this blog as something I miss doing. So because of that I’m going to give ‘er all I got Captain!

Over on Bridgete’s Facebook page she posted this little meme of sorts and I decided instead of cluttering up my Facebook I’d whip out the paddles and shock my blog’s heart back into beating again by taking on this thirty day challenge over here instead. I mean hell, if I can write an entire fracking novel in thirty days I think I can manage to post a few facts and pictures until the end of April right?

So I’m a day behind which means this will tip over into May but I really don’t see that as a problem, its not like this is required to be done in one calendar month or anything. Here’s the skinny:

1. A picture of yourself with 10 facts
2. A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
3. A picture of the cast from your favorite show
4. A picture of your favorite night
5. A picture of your favorite memory
6. A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
7. A picture of your most treasured item
8. A picture that makes you laugh
9. A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
10. A picture of the person you do the most screwed up things with
11. A picture of something you hate
12. A picture of something you love
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die
16. A picture of someone who inspires you
17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
18. A picture of your biggest insecurity
19. A picture and a letter
20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
21. A picture of something you wish you could forget
22. A picture of something you wish you were better at
23. A picture of your favorite book
24. A picture of something you wish you could change
25. A picture of your favorite day
26. A picture of something that means a lot to you
27. A picture of yourself and a family member
28. A picture of something you're afraid of
29. A picture that can always make you smile
30. A picture of someone you miss

So wow that’s quite the list of photos to conjure up! Maybe the photos and stories behind them will even spark up a story or two for May. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the pic & ten facts.

1. I’m addicted to white out line; it’s dry on contact and makes everything fresh and clean.
2. I really like seeing smiley faces or heart shapes occur randomly, like on my toothbrush holder with two round holes and a big wide hole across from them in a ‘D’ shape. It resembles the emoticon :D
3. I came within $54.69 of predicting the exact cost to do the recent repairs on my car. Those dollars were in my favor.
4. I believe it’s because I made it happen when I wrote it down, so now I’m writing down everything as I want it to be where our finances are concerned -- both income and out go.
5. There are twelve weeks & 1 day until we move to Phoenix.
6. That thought simultaneously elates and terrifies me.
7. Speaking of terrified…I got to study Poe in my last two classes (top five favorite writers of all time so it was quite cool to have the opportunity!) and realized how much it irritates me when people spell his middle name wrong. It’s Allan, not Allen.
8. Reading all this crazy stuff by Edgar is giving me nightmares; my psyche must be weaker than it was when I first discovered him in about seventh grade!
9. I’m growing my hair out and recently dyed it back to my natural color because I’m tired of dealing with it. Maybe I’ll get funky again someday but for now it’s just boring ‘ol, plain ‘ol brown-ish.
10. Matt and I plan to go to the beach every single weekend from opening day until the date of our yard sale two weeks before we leave for Phoenix. Who knows when we’ll get to see the ocean again!

So there you have it. Anyone else up for the blogging/FB/wherever you want to post it challenge?

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Catch up on anything you missed  30 Photos, 30 Days
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Don’t Give Up Until You, Drink from the Silver Cup

One of Matt’s favorite sayings is “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it”. Well the moment I heard this clever little turn of phrase come out of his mouth I mixed it right into the soup that is my own life philosophy. Because of it I have re-tried a whole bunch of things in the last decade that I may not have enjoyed in the decades prior, or perhaps never even tried as a kid. I was tired of living by preconceived notions that I would not like it now just because of how I felt then and it has opened my eyes to so many kick ass experiences. Good examples of how I have applied this would be via avocados and skiing.

Avocados were a winner. Guacamole is a staple in my house now and I am always on the lookout for cool new stuff to do with this wondrous food. I will even eat them on the half skin with a little oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Quite a departure from my upturned nose of years past.

Skiing. Well that was an entirely different story. It is safe to say that is an activity I will not be taking part in again. Ever. But how would I have known unless I gave it a whirl right? Not to mention the skiing story is one of my favorites to tell because it is just hilarious so at least something great came out of the day.

In the spirit of this attempt at trying things…

The other day I promised a new blog background with my first post in June. Well sorry friends but I am currently in the process of learning how to create my own template skin and because I am working out of the house all week the lovely brown is going to have to suffice until I can work on it more next week. It is something I am seriously enjoying figuring out though!

I am back on the hunt for a new hair color. This is not completely shocking to those who know me but I had actually resolved myself to only doing my natural hair color after I dyed over the fire engine red from last summer. I was tired of finding new colors, trying to select the perfect one, so instead of doing it on my own this time, I asked for help. When Matt ran out to get soysauges (yes breakfast sausages made from soy -- again, never knock it ‘til you try it, they are freaking awesome) I asked him to pop into Walgreens and come back with a box of hair color; to surprise me. I told him no matter what it was I would put it in my hair.

He looked frightened, as if I had suddenly become one of those girls that asks the loaded question for which there is no right answer, just so I can kick his proverbial ass when he is forced to make a choice. He started to sweat and search for a way out of the house without having to pass me where I would trip him and laugh. Sensing his level of panic, I laid out a few ground rules -- no platinum blonde, no jet black and nothing I would actually need to go to a salon to make it come out nice (like hot pink or blue). He exhaled at this point and even seemed eager for the challenge. He came home with a mahogany color that has strong tones of flaming garnet when seen in the sunlight. I freaking love it.

Right before I dyed my hair I decided to peruse a few blogs over coffee. One of my best bloggy friends Ginger had recently been on a hiatus with a busted up computer and one of her first posts back was for vegan pancakes. I read a whole slew of foodie bloggers because now that I am in charge of most night’s dinners, spaghetti and chicken soup were getting a touch lame. Ginger has never, and I mean never, let me down in terms of deliciousness. Her recipes should be in a book. Seriously.

As if by sheer fate, she posted the pancake recipe and I already had every single ingredient on hand to make them. I was stoked because we had an entire Sunday to do with as we wished; brunch fit right into the plan. I slightly modified her recipe using agave nectar in lieu of maple syrup, whole wheat flour instead of unbleached all purpose and a whole lime’s worth of juice plus an extra shake of cinnamon. We ate them with fresh strawberries, the soysauges and scrambled eggs with spinach, fresh tomato and fresh cilantro. Best. Meal. Ever. The recipe has already been printed and safely tucked into my box of tricks (which is growing so I guess cooking also makes it to the ‘give it a try’ list). But I highly encourage you to write the book Ginger, I’m running out of space.

Most everyone knows that I do not consider myself much of an outdoorsy type of girl. Woodland activities are not my scene because I really strongly dislike bugs and there is just something so perfect about being able to sleep in a bed. So when our friends, who we vacation with every year on Martha’s Vineyard, mentioned that their summer trips were likely to phase out the over priced, albeit beautiful, island and grow to include more camping trips, my own panic set in much as I described Matt’s above; furrowed brow, clammy palms and all. Tent camping was not something I ever imagined blipping up on my personal radar.

This activity is something Matt really enjoys but as much as I can tolerate a nice hike now and then, when it comes to the sleeping without a door lock in the middle of the wilderness with who knows what kind of rabid animal or psycho killer just past the line of sight, I can’t say that I am going to feel all safe and snuggly because I have a nylon sheet in between me and those threats. But despite my completely irrational fear that some Stephen King novel will play itself out in the middle of the family campground, I find myself looking at the price of a nice, sturdy tent that sleeps four and comes with all kinds of clip on pockets and stuff, not to mention getting a little bit excited about it, because you bet your ass there will be an air mattress involved. Not to mention two bags of marshmallows for ‘smores and maybe a bottle of wine so I can pass out and stay that way until morning. All joking aside, I promise nothing but just like skiing I will at least never be able to say I didn’t give it a shot.

(Luckily I know the real secret to living through the horror movie is don’t be a virgin getting laid for the first time in the cabin in the woods. Done and done. Mosquito bites on one’s ass -- so not attractive.)

Although I love my drums it was time to take a crack at singing. And I do mean crack; as in Peter Brady When it’s Time to Change kind of crack. Right after Wendy and Kyle left we went out and picked up Rock band II. With constant access to all of the instruments and the microphone as well, it was only a matter of time before I decided to give it a go. Now, unlike on the drums where I delude myself into believing that I might actually be able to play them someday because I have that independent limb thing down, in no universe would I ever try to say I could carry a tune on key. But that does not make a bit of difference with Rock Band; the only thing that matters is being able to maintain the pitch. Any song by a moderately lower pitched singer I can pull off now on hard difficulty. Man in the Box, Alive, Everlong and anything by Oasis are at the top of my favorite list. Sorry neighbors.

So now when I see something or hear of something that I either had no use for previously or never even considered up to that moment, I fully intend to at least give it a try. Never know, it could be something awesome that I might have missed if I never gave it that shot.

All the Dorks In the House Put Your Hands Up

For the past couple of months, I have had almost no desire to write. Well, let me clarify, I have had no desire to write the convoluted insanity that I used to write almost every day either in this blog or my journal. Instead, I am filling up volumes with posts about eco-friendly products and moderately serious prose. This does not upset me, save for the fact that I kind of tried to deny to myself the reason why I was in that mode in the first place -- I had temporarily misplaced my humor.

As an Irish gal growing up in a punny family, a witty personality is something I was just born with. Generally I can find the hilarity in any situation, extract it, and plunk it on out there so everyone else can laugh about it too; even if it is an “in-joke” situation. But I have been in this recoculous introspective place lately, because many serious things have happened in my life, and rather than spit them out after they lost their flavor, I was continuing to chew on them. Then my sister came to town.

There are some people in my life that just get me going and I fall right back into that awesome place of humor and goofy stupidity where my timing is freaking perfect and its just on without even having to flip the switch. Wendy is at the top of the list of those people.

This past week while she and her boyfriend were here there was more laughter (and drinking and smoking and late nights) than had happened in this house in a long time. Immediately after dropping them off at the airport yesterday afternoon, as always happens, I missed her. But Matt and I were in full on “go” mode to get the house cleaned and then pack because we are cat and semi house sitting for a friend for the next couple weeks. We spent limited time back here just to pick up the $4 in returns from beer bottles (sorry, I mean beah, ya know, what we drank while eating pitzr; as we say here in Bahstin), grab some food in a cooler, toothbrushes and a night’s worth of clothes then jam.

This morning, back home to work, I got my over tired, highly nicotined ass into detox mode by drinking about five glasses of water, and then I finally opened the mail that had piled up. I fully expected to be ecstatic by the quiet that I would be surrounded by but something interesting occurred. I sat down at the computer to start paying bills online and it was like the laughter of sixty people was hanging like a fog in the air. The energy in my living room was infused with awesomeness, fun and about a billion movie quotes and I sat here smiling for no good reason other than I was happy to continue to soak it up.

Every time I sit in bumpadabumpa traffic nexta a Dunkin Donuts now I will think of yas.

And for anyone who lives in Bahstin, ya know that’salat.