Manic Monday - Drink

In keeping with this week's Manic Monday falling on that most favorite of drinking occasions - St. Patrick's Day - Morgen decided to make our word of the day "drink". Once again I had to put my thinking cap on as nothing readily came to mind but then the light dawned and an idea came creeping in.

The favorite band of my youngest daughter Jamie is the Australian band AC/DC, one of the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal though they've always considered themselves to be pure rock and roll. Most of you are probably familiar with the band through their songs "Back in Black", "Highway to Hell", and "You Shook Me All Night Long" but as luck would have it, the band also released a song called "Have a Drink on Me" which was said to be a tribute song to their late lead singer and co-songwriter, Bon Scott, who died on February 19th, 1980 from what was listed as "acute alcohol poisoning". No irony there, is there? In consulting with the self-proclaimed band's #1 fangirl, Jamie told me that the song was an excellent choice for this post and she gave me her blessing to proceed. Perhaps you'd like to listen to it while you continue reading?


Jamie has always been the 'rebel' in the family with a devil-may-care attitude so it doesn't surprise me that she's an AC/DC fan. She could probably tell you everything you ever did - or didn't - want to know about the band and has declared Angus Young to be the best guitarist ever; there's no arguing that point with her one iota so it isn't even worth trying. To be honest, I have to admit that in spite of the school-boy outfits he wore on stage, the "Duck Walking", and the wild antics that I find a bit distracting, Angus has an easily identifiable and unmatched style of minimalist blues-based riffs that has been often imitated by other up and coming wannabe rockers. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at #96 on their 2003 list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time but don't tell Jamie that as he'll always be #1 to her. The girl knows what she likes and what she likes is Angus Young and AC/DC. Her father, of course, disapproves as some of the lyrics of their songs are a little risqué but I guess compared to a lot of today's music, they aren't that bad. Still, her father frowns upon her being a fan of the boys from Down Under.

AC/DC was formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by transplanted Scottish brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. They released their first album, High Voltage, in 1975 after going through several line-up changes then shortly after that, in 1977, Cliff Williams joined the band replacing bassist Mark Evans. In 1979 the band consisted of the Young brothers, bassist Williams, drummer Phil Rudd, and front man Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott, another Scotsman who had emigrated to Austriala, when they released their highly successful album Highway to Hell. Upon Scott's sudden and tragic death less than a year later, the other members of the band briefly considered disbanding before deciding that Scott would have wanted them to continue on and hiring British singer Brian Johnson as Scott's replacement.

Brian helped finish writing the songs for the band's third album Back in Black, a tribute album to the late Scott, that was released in 1980 just six months after Scott's death and which became the band's biggest selling album when it went platinum a year after its release. The album reached #1 in the UK and #4 in the US, where it spent 131 weeks in the top ten, making it the 5th highest-selling album ever in the USA.

For Those About to Rock We Salute You was the band's follow-up album to Back in Black and was released in 1981; it became the band's first album to reach #1 in the US. Shortly after that, drummer Phil Rudd left the group amid rumors of disputes with Brian Johnson and album sales declined until 1990 when the group released The Razor's Edge. In 1994, Rudd returned to the group and shortly after that Ballbreaker was released in 1995. The last album the band released was in 2000 titled Stiff Upper Lip, an endeavor that was well received by critics and fans alike. A new album was announced in 2004 and should be out sometime this year if all goes well, much to Jamie's delight.

All told, AC/DC has sold an estimated 150 million albums worldwide with an estimated 68 million of them being sold here in the US. The band is ranked #4 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time as well being ranked #7 by MTV's list of Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time. With a grand total of 25 albums, both studio and live, under their belts AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10th, 2003 where Brian Johnson accepted the award by quoting lyrics written by Bon Scott for the song "Let There Be Rock",

"In the beginning, back in 1955, man didn't know about the rock 'n roll show and all that jive.
The white man had the schmaltz, the black man had the blues, but no one knew what they was gonna do but Tchaikovsky had the news, he said: 'let there be rock."

Now that you've had the chance to drink up all this knowledge on my youngest daughter's favorite band and you'd like to see what other people are drinking this St. Patrick's Day, click on the link to go check out Mo's Manic Monday post and quench your desire to find out!

Are the Stars Out Tonight?

More wishing stars have appeared in the heavens of the Blogosphere and I couldn't be happier to see them!

From Ivanhoe @ Communiqué by Ivanhoe
A wish for all of us!

Jeni @ Down RIver Drivel
Wishes to travel and seek out her colorful ancestral history.

Sanni @ Sanni-licious
A loving mom makes a loving wish.

Dottie @ Dottie's Place
A simple wish but one we all can appreciate.

Miss Honeypenny @ Miss Moneypenny CPU
A wish with a sense of humor attached!

If you haven't made a wish yet and want to do so - please check out the Make a Wish Meme and then let me know when your wish has been made!

Can I Get a Big D-U-H Over Here??

If I had harbored any doubts that I was starting to lose my memory at all, I was able to put all doubt aside this morning when I did, or actually didn't do something, that I haven't done in - well, since I can't remember when! Apparently, I had agreed to swap shifts with one of the other dispatchers today back in mid-February and agreed to work Wayne's day shift while he was to cover my evening shift but I completely and totally forgot all about it.

Amanda was spending the weekend over at Jason & Amy's with Cate so I had the whole house to myself last night so I was rather enjoying it. After doing a little bit of cleaning, I had stayed up late first playing a little bit of Rock Band on the Xbox 360 and then working on my Manic Monday post for tomorrow. I have to write it on the weekend as I'm normally at work on Sunday evenings and then from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Mondays so if I don't do it early, it doesn't get done. I'd missed last week's and wanted to make sure I got a post done for this week.

I had the post almost complete around 2:00 a.m. and figured I would add pictures and tweak it before going into work this morning so I finally went up to bed a lot later than I normally would. Even though I was tired I couldn't fall asleep right away so it was pretty darned late/early before I finally got to sleep. At 7:21 a.m. when the phone rang I was most definitely a bit disoriented and wasn't even sure who I was talking to ...

"Hi Linda, it's Dave from work calling. Did you forget you switched shifts with Wayne today and were supposed to be at work?"

"Mmmpphhh ... I did? I don't remember doing that, are you sure?"

"Yeah, Wayne's at the EMS Conference and when we called his house and woke his wife up she said that he had switched shifts with you."

"Oh bother ... okay, give me 20 minutes and I'll be in but I really don't remember switching shifts at all."

A few minutes later, while I was brushing my teeth, it dawned on me that I was talking to Dane and not Dave which would explain why I couldn't figure out why on earth Dave, who doesn't work dispatch and never works Sundays, would be calling me! I gotta tell ya, I was completely and totally out of it this morning!

I got to work almost exactly 20 minutes later, still totally unable to remember doing the shift swap, but when I logged onto the computer and opened my Outlook a reminder popped up telling me that I was covering for Wayne with a shift swap. Duh! Yeah, thanks for nothing! That needed to pop up yesterday so I would have remembered and gone to bed at a reasonable hour!

Sigh ... growing old truly sucks sometimes! I wonder what else I forgot??

Three Wishes

I was quite happy and excited to see that three wishes have already appeared in the heavens of the Blogosphere as a result of the new Make a Wish Meme that I posted about yesterday. And good wishes they are, too! ...

Travis @ Trav's Thoughts
A lover of fine classic automobiles, I bet Travis would look great in this beauty!

Ralph @ Airhead55
A proud father of two fantastic children, Ralph's wish speaks volumes of his love for them.

Morgen at It's a Blog Eat Blog World
A man who wants to get the past behind him and head unencumbered into the future, this is a great wish for Morgen!

How about you? What's your wish?

The Make a Wish Meme

For Manic Monday on March 3rd, Morgen @ It's a Blog Eat Blog World had us use the word "want" for the word of the day. I thought it was an excellent choice and managed to come up with what I thought was a pretty good post that you can read by clicking here (just in case you missed it or thought it was so good you want to read it again!). When Morgen announced the word for the week on the previous Friday, a comment was left by Janna in which she said, "Interesting. Awhile back we had "wish" as a theme. Now I'm philosophically debating with myself about the difference between "wish" and "want"."

I wondered the same thing myself wishing I knew what I wanted and wanting what I wished for and then an idea popped into my head that it would be interesting to know what other people were wishing for, or perhaps even wanting for, themselves. To that end, I thought it would be nice to create a new meme similar to the one that our beloved Mimi, Queen of Memes used with her very successful and popular Message in a Bottle Meme. Of course, I didn't wish to step on any royal toes so first asked permission of Her Royal Highness to use the same sort of format that she had used. Gracious, as always, Mimi said that it was certainly fine by her and she that would absolutely participate in such an endeavor once I got around to undertaking it.

After a little cajoling, I was able to get my resident artist and Photoshop® expert to come up with a graphic for me to use that I liked. I explained to Amanda that what I had in mind was a wishing star as that is what comes readily to mind whenever I think of making a wish. Granted you could throw a penny in a wishing well, make a wish while blowing out birthday candles, or even just randomly wish for something without any sort of ritual involved but how many of us have looked up into the night sky, seen a star shoot across the heavens, and not made a wish? Uh-huh, that's what I'm talking about!

So, now that you have the background information and understand why I'm embarking on this adventure, let's get on with the rules of the new Make A Wish Meme - as I like to call it! If it catches on even a quarter of the way as well as Queen Mimi's Message in a Bottle Meme did, I will be thrilled to pieces. Honest!

The Rules

1. Think about what it is that you want more than anything, what your heart's desire and fondest wish is, and what it is that you would wish for if you were to see the above wishing star flame across the night sky.
2. Right click and SAVE the blank graphic below.
3. Use a graphics program of your choice and place your wish on this picture:

4. Post the Make A Wish Meme and your wishing star on your blog along with these rules.
5. Tag as many people as you like so that there can be wishing stars all across the Blogosphere and ask them to please link back to me so that I can see what wishes others have made and share those wishes with others.

If you don't currently have a graphics program and aren't sure how to put your message on the picture you can either download one for free (I use IrfanView which is an image viewer but also allows you to customize and optimize your pictures) or email me at mouseski58@yahoo.com, tell me what you're wishing for, and I'll customize the picture for you and email it back to you so that you can then post it.

To kick this meme off, I am going to tag the following people to participate and get the ball rolling. I don't have a dungeon to threaten you with should you choose not to participate in this meme, like certain other Queens have been known to do, so let's just suffice it to say that I wish you would! There - how's that for guilt?? But of course, as always, participation is optional.

A Little Piece of Me, Airhead 55, Alien In a Foreign Field, "...And Miles to Go Before We Sleep", Asara's Mental Meanderings, Bankerchick's Scratchings,Brain Foggles, Captain Picard's Journal, Captured By Gravity, Cheese In My Shoe, Coffee 2 Go, Comedy Plus, Communiqué by Ivanhoe, CrAzY Working Mom, Dayngrous Discourse, Dixie's Heart and Soul, Dottie's Place, Down River Drivel. Duward Discussion. Echoes of Grace,Empress Bee of the High Sea, Everything and Nothing, Evil Se7en, Gem-osophy, It's A Blog Eat Blog World, Just Me ..., Last Minute Lyn's Life, Late Boomer Bloomer, Lowdown from Lois, Mimi Writes ...., Ms Maggie Moo Talks 2 U, My Dogs Keep Me Sane, My Wonderful Life, New England Lighthouse Treasures,Sarge Charlie, Scrappin' With Life ... , Tar Heel Ramblings, The Buzz Queen, The Curmudgeon, The Erstwhile Librarian, The Freelance Guru, Trav's Thoughts, Wading Through My Stream of Consciousness, Whitterer on Autism, WTIT Tape Radio Blog

Alright, folks, what do you wish for?

I ♥ My iMom!

One of the nice gifts I got for Christmas this past year was an iPod Shuffle MP3 player from my son Michael. It took me the better part of forever to finally get around to downloading any music on it and I didn't really get inspired until Amanda decided that she was going to use it if I wasn't. Ut-oh! If you have a teenager in the house, never let your cool gifts sit unused for too long as they'll lay claim to them faster than you can say "Hey! That's mine!"

Turns out that this tiny little piece of technology packs quite the big sound and I have had it with me almost constantly. The weather was actually even nice enough here in Connecticut today that I could go out and sit on the porch on my outdoor furniture and enjoy some music. Very nice indeed! Warm weather and good music - I love it!

Because I have a rather extensive collection of CDs it was hard to decide which songs I wanted to put on iMom, as it's been named, but one of the easiest choices was one of my very favorite songs by Sting.


If anyone reads this post and finds the double message in it, you get bonus points!

A Bit of Logical Thinking, I Think!

I was looking at automotive accessories on the internet earlier today for something in particular and I came across tail light guards, which at first I wasn't exactly sure what the purpose of was. It wasn't that I was being dense or anything but I was wondering why on earth people would need such a thing on their cars. Was there that much of a problem with people backing up their vehicles and smashing their tail lights out? Why would anyone invent such a thing?

I took a closer look at the product description out of curiosity and think I may have found the answer "...Tail light Guards feature European styling and high quality one-piece construction." Obviously if they have European styling it must mean that the people in Europe were the ones to initially have the problems with backing up and breaking out their tail lights and they came up with the idea! It naturally migrated across to America and, because we love all things European, people now put them on their vehicles in order to look cool like our counterparts across the ocean!

Simple logic! Why didn't I think of it sooner??

Something to Get Excited About

Even though I only live about an hour away from the beaches in Rhode Island (the next state over to the right if you're facing Maine!), I've only actually been to one of them once. If you've got some time to kill and want to read the post, I blogged about it way back on July 26th, 2006. The girls and I had a great time with our friend Paula even though I ended up getting a nasty sunburn on my feet which turned into a nasty case of cellulitis (a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection) that put me out of work and on crutches for a few days. Despite the end results we had a wonderful time and I've often wondered why it is I don't get to the beaches in Rhode Island more often.

After some initial planning and then more planning and much discussion via emails and IMs, it now appears that I'm going to get the chance to not only visit another beach in Rhode Island this year but also spend a week at a house right on the beach in Matunuck. That's the place in the picture above - doesn't it look nice? It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a beautiful deck overlooking the ocean, and all the comforts of home minus sheets and pillowcases and a few other things that are easily brought along. It has room for eight people and comes complete with eight lawn chairs for sitting out on that lovely deck and sipping a cocktail or two while someone else grills up some steaks on the barbecue grill that's provided.

Sounds just perfect, doesn't it? Yes! Yes it does and what makes it even more perfect is that I'm going to be spending the week after my 50th birthday right there on the beach with some of the best friends a gal can make via the Internet - Morgen @ It's a Blog Eat Blog World, Callie Ann @ Scrappin' With Life, Kai @ The Buzz Queen, Mags @ Ms. Maggie Moo Talks 2 U, and my very favorite cheeky blogger from across the pond - Claire @ A Little Piece of Me. I have to tell you that I am totally psyched for this vacation and can't wait until September even though that seems like I'm rushing headlong even faster to hitting that half century mark that so many of us dread.

Okay, so I bet you're wondering right now how on earth it is that someone from Connecticut has managed to hook up with a Canadian, a Brit, an Oregonian, and a Michiganite along with a former fellow Nutmegger to plan a week on the beach in Rhode Island of all places, aren't you? Well, we've decided to blame this one squarely on Mo and The Mo Show as that's how we all seemed to hook up. During after-show IM sessions, we were all bemoaning the fact that we needed a vacation, that we'd all like to meet, and that it would be cool to do something BIG for my 50th birthday and somehow we ended up planning a week at one of the most relaxing places we could think of. You've got to admit, that deck does look relaxing, doesn't it?

As most of you know, Mags and Mo and I all got together last September when Mo took the train down from Michigan to spend a weekend exploring bits of Connecticut and Rhode Island and we had a GREAT time! The three of us know what to expect from each other but as for the other three - Callie Ann, Claire, and Kai - we only know each other via the pages of our blogs and IMs and emails but getting to know each other is going to be half the fun of this trip. Mags has promised to create some fantastic meals for us, Claire wants to go exploring the countryside, Callie Ann has a marvelous sense of humor, Kai can bring some moose steaks and tales of the Canadian wilds, Morgen is just one of the nicest guys ever, and me - well, I'm not sure what I offer to the mix but I'll try to think of something by September!

With sunsets like this one, how can this not be a fantastic trip and week well spent away from the stress and pressure of 911 calls and medical emergencies? What better way to spend the week after my 50th birthday? I can't think of one and I'm sure that we'll all have tales to tell - though now that I think about it, I don't believe the house has an internet connection. Oops!

So, how many of you are jealous and wish you were going, too??

Something is Missing ... But I Don't Know What

I can't quite put my finger on it but something just hasn't felt right the past week or so. It's like something is missing from my life but I'm not exactly sure what it is or when it went missing or how I would even know it's missing if I don't know what it is but there it is - something just feels gone. I wish I knew how to better describe what I'm feeling but other than wanting to cry for no good reason and feeling rather bereft when I go to bed at night and lie there wondering why I feel this way and what has changed, I just don't know how to explain it. Suffice it to say, it hasn't really inspired me to do any blogging as I just don't know what on earth to write about or even how to write it.

Thankfully, Tisha @ CrAzY Working Mom gave me something to post about today when she awarded me this lovely little Friendship Award -

Tisha got the award from The Teach @ Work of the Poet who got it from Colin of Life who got it from Chuck @ Foster Me Up and Milton @ Bluedreamer’s Top 5. Beyond that, I have lost the trail ... does anyone know where this very nice little award originated??

Thank you so much, Tisha, for passing this on to me. It really means a lot and definitely cheered me up at a time when I'm just feeling kind of lost for no good reason. Maybe I need a compass?

Second Line of Duty Death in the Month of March

Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Special Agent Robert Patrick (Pat) Flickinger died as a result of injuries following a motor vehicle accident on Friday, March 7th. Agent Flickinger was pronounced dead at the scene after authorities say he was pinned in his vehicle following a head-on collision with another vehicle after he had attempted to pass a slow moving vehicle. The crash happened shortly before eight o'clock Friday night on State Highway 199 just west of Glasses Creek near Madill, Oklahoma.

Agent Flickinger had a total of 16 years of law enforcement experience, was a veteran of the US Navy, and graduate of the FBI National Academy. He was hired as a uniformed police officer with the Chickasaw Nation’s Lighthorse Police Department on September 27th 2004, promoted to a Special Agent on October 15th 2007, and assigned to work narcotics enforcement. Agent Flickinger was a member of both the Lighthorse Police Scuba-Dive Team and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.

“We are all saddened to hear of the loss of Special Agent Flickinger,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. “He has been a dedicated member of the Lighthorse Police Department for more than three years. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family members and all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.”

“The Chickasaw Nation and State of Oklahoma have lost a hero,” added Lighthorse Police Chief Jason O’Neal. “Agent Flickinger considered it an honor to serve his community and was well respected within the law enforcement community. He will be missed dearly and our prayers go out to his family.”

Agent Flickinger, age 37, leaves behind a daughter and a community deeply saddened by his loss.

Oh? You Were Pregnant?

One of the other dispatchers that I work with is due to have her third child around the middle of May so she's a lot further along than I always think she is. I think part of the issue is that she doesn't wear typical maternity clothing because she's supposed to wear something as close to our regular uniform as possible. It's kind of tough because EMS pants just don't conform well to the big bellies of pregnant women! They don't exactly have elastic waistbands!

At any rate, Jen has been making due with a pair of navy blue stretch pants and an oversize blue turtleneck which is actually part of our uniform options. Add on to that the fact that she still wears her EMS boots and it's easy to see why I'm confused as to her degree of pregnancy! Before I know it I'm going to go into work one day and find out that Jen had the baby and is out on maternity leave while I'm still thinking she has months to go!

I really need to get with the program!

Sunrise - Sunset

I'm feeling pretty darned uninspired today. So darned uninspired that I can't even get my brain to go on any cheap flights of fancy! Not sure if it's the whole "lose an hour" thing or the fact that my back, which was feeling better, is now giving me grief again for no good reason as yesterday's mammoth rain storms have moved out of the area along with the low pressure system that accompanied it. If it's something more than the weather that is causing problems, I'm afraid I really don't want to even think about it but if this keeps up, I'll call my orthopedic doc later this week and see about getting in to get things checked out.

At any rate, because I'm feeling so perfectly blah and have to go to work shortly but didn't want to not post something for two days (and considering I have to work my lovely 16-hour double shift tomorrow I won't be posting anything then either), I thought I'd post a couple of pictures that I got from my friend Andrew the other day. I don't have too much background on them other than that he told me that they are pictures of the sunrise and sunset on the same day. I'm going to guess that Andrew took the pictures near his home in northeastern Connecticut but just in case it was his wife, Bethany who took them, I figured I'd best give a shout out to her, too. Want to make sure to give credit where credit is due! Thanks, Andrew and Bethany both!


I hope everyone has a great Sunday and Monday and I'll try to get caught up with all of you on Tuesday when I next have a day off and, hopefully, my back will have settled down for good!

Backing Up the Weather Forecast

The above is the forecast for the next three days here in Connecticut which probably explains why my back has been giving me some major grief since yesterday morning. Apparently we are in for one major drenching this weekend with rainfall totals varying from 2 to 4+ inches beginning this evening and continuing through to Saturday evening. The potential for flooding is pretty high as the ground is already saturated and there's no place for all that rain to go except into my cellar along with everyone else's, too. No doubt the local fire departments are going to be busy pumping out basements this weekend and I bet their backs ache almost as bad as mine does by the time they're done.

Whenever the satellite map looks like the above, there's a pretty good chance that my back is going to be doing what it has been doing since yesterday morning - hurting like nobody's business (as my old Gram B used to say) and making it downright difficult for me to get around without first taking a handful of pills which then makes it downright difficult for me to get around because I'm now drugged up and sleeping!

Needless to say, this has been pretty much a wasted day off for me as I managed to do absolutely nothing except limp downstairs and park myself on the couch with a heating pad behind me and my laptop in front of me! I'm hoping that things will have improved sufficiently by tomorrow morning so that I can get into work as I really can't afford to take an unpaid day off to lie about and do nothing again.

Even though this isn't the first time I've had weather-related back pain, I've yet to get this whole 'storm-induced' back pain thing down to a science. Does it just hurt like forty hells while the storm is approaching the region or does it continue to do so while the storm is raging and only dissipates once the storm moves out? This whole 'barometric body' stuff is truly a pain - in more ways than one!

Obviously I'm not the only one who suffers from severe changes in the weather though science is, of course, still hotly debating the topic. I found an Arthritis Poll on About.com where the question was asked: Does the weather affect your arthritis (changes in barometric pressure, rain, snowstorms)? Currently 3,021 people have taken the poll and of those, 2,203 people (73%) answered: Yes - weather changes severely affect my pain level. Only 84 people (2%) stated that the weather affected no changes while the 734 people (24%) remaining varied between moderate and minimal affects with changing weather. Naturally I'm in the 73 percent!

Apparently the increased pain has more to do with changes in the barometric pressure than anything else and while some people notice changes with a high pressure system, a good number of us notice the changes when a low pressure system moves into the region. Our current low pressure system started to move into the area early yesterday morning and, even without watching the weather on TV, I was able to tell that there was a change in the weather coming despite the fact that it was a beautiful sunny day. At this point I just wish this storm would get in here, do its thing, and move on out!

How about you? Does the weather affect how you feel at all? Do you knowingly nod your head when someone says that they can tell the weather is changing by the way they feel or do you still not believe it? Aching backs wanna know!

Another Award to Light Up My Blog

In doing my awards post yesterday I inadvertently missed one from one of my newest readers, Ivanhoe, whose blog Communiqué by Ivanhoe I just added to my sidebar and Google Reader.

Ivanhoe's real name is Ivana and she was born in Prague in the Czech Republic. She is now a resident of Ohio having lived in the United States for eleven years and just became a citizen last year (congratulations!). She's getting married next month while taking her first cruise ever on the Carnival ship Valor (lucky girl to have both love and a cruise!) and she absolutely loves dogs so I really ought to get her hooked up with Misty Dawn of My Dogs Keep Me Sane who is also a major league dog lover - if she hasn't discovered her already! If you haven't had the pleasure to meet Ivanhoe yet, pop on by her blog and be sure to tell her I sent you!

This lovely little award that she gave me is the "You Light Up My Life" award that was designed by The Teach from Work of the Poet. In designing this award, The Teach said,

"Now I will NOT subject you to the song by Debbie Boone that she sang in 1978. But I will quote from Rabbi Michael Strassfeld in order to describe the people I think deserve this award:

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished."

What a great concept to design an award around! Very nicely done, Teach, and thank you, Ivana, for passing this along to me - it certainly brightened up my day!

Rock on With Your Excellent Self!

Once again I am honored to have been given a couple of really cool awards from some really cool blog buddies. First up is this nifty little award that Dixie, proud mom of a United States Marine, gave to me. She got the award from Roger at Idaho Daily Photo who designed the award himself and then presented it to his entire blogroll and anyone else who wanted it. Even though I haven't played Rock Band or Guitar Hero in awhile I still think this badge is totally cool (or is that sweet?, I forget the vernacular!) and I thank Dixie for thinking of me!


Roger said that we could do anything we wanted with this award so I'm going to pass it along to a couple other people who truly do rock - a woman who makes the best brownies eva', Mags @ Ms Maggie Moo Talks 2 You; that cheeky little brit with the gorgeous red hair from across the pond, Claire @ A little Piece of Me; and Carrie @ Asara's Mental Meanderings as she not only rocks but she also rolls right over trolls and other monsters while perfecting her WoW skills. Ladies, you all rock in my book and if you'd like you can click over to Roger's and pick up the codes for this bigger badge as well as a smaller one that goes nicely in your sidebar.

Another nice award that was presented to me this week comes from Debbie Dolphin of New England Lighthouse Treasures. Ms. Dolphin was kind enough to award me the Excellent Blog Award and put me in with some very excellent company that you can find at this post here.

Debbie states that "according to Cyberspace rules in the eUniverse of eAwards, acceptance of this Excellent Blog Award requires me to tag nominate 10 virtual victims excellent Bloggers to receive this award." It is truly my belief that every blog that graces the sidebar of my blog is rated "E" for excellent so I rather hate to just pick and choose ten people to give this award to even though the rules are rather blatantly stating that I need to do just that. However, because my back is giving me some issues today and I've taken some rather nice muscle relaxers to try to bring the pain down to a dull roar, I'm going to fly in the face of convention and just give this award to everyone over there on the right. Should anyone have a problem with that I will just claim that it was the Flexeril that made me do it!

Thank you again to Dixie and Debbie for thinking of me! You are both E-Rockers in my book!

I've Got a Question - You've Got an Answer

In an effort to perhaps give myself a little more energy and feel a bit better while trying to shed the winter blues (and pounds), I have decided to start eating better and incorporate some exercise into my daily routine. Of course I have to get my Gazelle elliptical machine out from behind the couch where it has been residing all winter first but that shouldn't be that hard - I hope!

It's also going to involve my putting down the controller for the XBox 360 and stop playing "Bejeweled 2"- rats! Amazing how much time can go by while I'm mindlessly moving around little colored shapes on the TV screen. Now if I could figure out how to play the game while using the Gazelle at the same time then I'm sure I'd have no trouble exercising for hours on end but, alas, I'm just not that coordinated!

Still it's time to stop making excuses and start taking some action. Which brings me to this week's question -

Do you exercise daily? If so, what do you do and what motivates you?

If not, what would it take to motivate you?

While you folks answer that one, I'm going to go play some more Bejeweled while I think about getting the Gazelle out ...

The Return of Rachel Lutzker

After months of waiting for a glimpse of their favorite traffic reporter, Connecticut residents were finally able to watch Rachel Lutzker back in action yesterday morning when the brand-spanking new Fox 61 Morning Show debuted at 6:00 a.m. Along with Rachel Lutzker in front of the brilliant, high-definition 3D traffic maps that show real-time traffic flow, speeds, incidents, and travel times on major roadways throughout the region, the broadcast features Logan Byrnes and Rebecca Stewart as co-anchors with long-time Connecticut weather icon Joe Furey keeping viewers apprised of what's going on outside their doors with Weather on the 6's.

I recorded the show for the first two days so that I could check it out and see if the show was going to hold a candle to the current morning shows that are running on Channels 3, 8 and 30 but I might have to watch a few more to see how it develops over time. For right now, in my own humble and honest opinion, it seemed like there was just something missing or that maybe the team was trying just a little too hard. Maybe I've watched Scott Haney on Channel 3 for too long or something but the show just felt a little flat to me. That's not to say that I don't find Scott Haney a little over the top sometimes because, trust me, I do!

Logan Brynes had bags under his eyes the size of small American Tourister cases so perhaps he needs to go to bed a little ealier at night while Rebecca Stewart is just a little too perky for my liking; I much prefer Keisha Grant over on NBC 30. Even though Joe Furey probably knows more about weather than just about any of them out there, my choice would still be Bob Maxon also on Channel 30. As for Rachel, who obviously was sorely missed from the Channel 3 line-up, it seems like business as usual in front of the traffic screen. She's most definitely better than Teresa LaBarbera, who now banters back and forth with Scott over on Channel 3, though Teresa seems to be starting to feel more comfortable in her traffic reporter role as time goes on.

I'm not exactly sure Connecticut really needed another morning news program but at least you can say that we've got a lot of diversity here in the Nutmeg State! Fox 61 did a great job of rounding up familiar faces & voices - Logan Byrnes has been broadcasting news in Connecticut for eight years with his last stint being the co-anchor of the evening news on NBC 30; Rebecca Stewart is a 5-year veteran at Fox 61 where she was weekend anchor and a weekday reporter for their News at Ten; Joe Furey is probably more familiar by voice as he is the Chief Meteorologist for WTIC News/Talk Radio 1080; and Rachel Lutzker - well, she's Rachel Lutzker and she's brought more people to my blog than any other search out there so what can I say other than thank you?

So, for those of you who have been coming to my blog looking for Rachel you can now find her every weekday morning on Fox 61 from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. reporting the traffic and chatting with the rest of the morning news team. I'm sure that once they all get used to their new digs (part of which is the shiny black news desk that Logan really, really likes) and each other's personality, the show will flow along a bit more smoothly but somehow I don't think that matters to a lot of you - you just wanted Rachel back and she is!

Chinese Astrology Forecast for 5th March 2008 to 3rd April 2008

Wondering what your Chinese horoscope has in store for you during the next month? Let's see what the good folks at Dragon-Gate.com had to say:

The Rat

This March brings love problems a-plenty! Third parties, gossips, hangers-on, fights and quibbles - these are all potentials this month for the hapless Rat. Not to worry, though - all one needs to do is to stay low and keep communications open, pleasant and to the point. You will do great this way. Married Rats, be careful of how you conduct yourself with the opposite sex this month since chances are your suddenly-suspicious spouse may get the wrong idea! In other words, this might not be the best time to make Las Vegas hotel reservations! Those born 1960 may have trouble sleeping.

The Ox

This March sees some relationship issues for the Ox, both personal and professional. There is even a potential danger of permanent severance in partnerships and friendships! Therefore be careful of what you say and you may just save yourself from a load of unwanted grief. Change is brewing at home, and you may even move house or carry out renovations at home.

The Tiger

Tigers born in 1950 should take extra care of their health. Those born in 1974 need to be ready to spend more because of problems brought on by family members or friends. Tigers born in 1998 should beware of injury.

The Rabbit

Rabbit, you may feel a little sickish this month. Repeated trips to the doctor's clinic is also a possibility since you may feel frail and under the weather throughout the month of March. There is also a little pressure at the work front, therefore if you have been having trouble nodding off to sleep at night, this may manifest to full-blown insomnia due to you worrying! Please be rest assured that though your career prospects are not so good, your Wealth luck certainly is. Rabbit people born in 1951 will be quarrelsome, whereas those born in 1975 will face relationship problems and these will eclipse the rest of your problems for now.

The Dragon

This month sees the Dragon experiencing potential stomach-related ailments, therefore eat plenty of healthy foods such as greens and fruits, and do avoid eating out just to be on the safe side. You may also find your mood being a little on the foul side, so do keep this in mind and keep those explosive tempers in check. Dragon people born in 1940 may have trouble sleeping, whereas those born in 2000 have bad Health Luck, and should avoid raw, cold or fried noodles.

The Snake

This month sees the Snake encountering some work-related obstacles. The good news is that you will almost always be able to solve these issues with a pinch of ingenuity and yes, expediency (it is all right to be a little ruthless this month, Snake!). Snake people born in 1941 tend to argue with others, and face health problems. Whereas those born in 1965 should avoid any kind of speculation or investment, because the outcome will not be favorable.

The Horse

The Horse will feel a little out of sorts this month, especially those who are in relationships. You may even feel deep suspicion and get all kinds of ideas about your mate being unfaithful! Horse people born in 1978 should be careful of third party problems, whereas those born in 1966 should watch out for politicking at work.

The Goat

The Goat is charged with excellent Career luck this month - you will find yourself working well, and enjoying wonderful rapport with your colleagues. You will be perceived as a good leader with the ability to influence others to side with you. Goat people born in 1967, try to avoid travel. If you are born 1931 get a doctor to check on your health issues if you have been suffering from any conditions.

The Monkey

Monkey, you may be in for some rockier moments come March. You will see obstacles and some stress as well, but you may also look for senior members of your family or colleagues to help you out. Safeguarding your belongings is a great idea since you may possibly lose valuable items.
Monkey people born in 1968 are likely to face many disputes and arguments at work.

The Rooster

Rooster, try to rise above the petty bickerings and arguments, and simply persevere. You should also focus on your goals and try not to step on anyone's toes - you will do great this way for the month of March. Rooster people born in 1969 should focus on the career because Relationship Luck is rather unfavorable.

The Dog

Dog, you may be feeling a little anxious come career matters this month. In fact, you feel downright worried about how things are unraveling about you. Don't get too wigged out, since all the Dog needs to do is take advantage of opportunities that come your way, and leverage on others to achieve better resolutions to problems! You should also do some liberal name-dropping to get your way this month. Dog people born in 1970 will go through lots of hassles and misunderstandings - keep the situation under control by saying less and keeping your feelings to yourself.

The Pig

Pig, you will see excellent Love luck coming your way this March! Communications with friends, family and colleagues are also fantastic for you. Therefore make full use of this advantageous position and you will find your efforts this month come useful for you in the future. Pig people born in 1983 should watch out for minor health issues.

Thank You!

Thank you all so much for keeping Cyndi in your thoughts and prayers yesterday. I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet but she called last night while I was at work and spoke briefly to Amanda to let her know that the surgery had gone well and that she was still alive, though a little subdued on the kicking, at that point!

Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to speak to her later today but I'm not sure how long she'll be in the hospital. If her surgery was at all like mine, there's a good chance she'll get sent home today but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Thank you again and I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'm off to the Olive Garden with my good friend Rhonda to celebrate her birthday with unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks! The only thing that would make it even better was if they had a massage chair to sit in as I think I slept wrong last night and I'm all sorts of achy!

Good Thoughts Requested!

Manic Monday is below this post but if you've got a moment or two before you read that ...

Quick post before I jaunt off to work here in a few minutes (jaunt? seriously?) ...

My BFF Cyndi, otherwise known as MizCyn here in the Blogosphere, is undergoing spinal surgery today in just a bit over an hour. She's got some disk problems very similar to what I had a couple years ago and is going through almost the same surgery (depending on what the neurosurgeon finds once he gets in there).

The last surgery she had years ago encountered some complications so my poor friend is a bundle of nerves, though hopefully by now they've given her something to help her relax and release the death grip I'm sure she has on her poor husband's hand! However, if you those of you reading could be so kind as to send some good thoughts or even prayers winging towards the West Coast and Stockton, California in particular I sure would appreciate it!

Thanks in advance, I already know you guys are the greatest and one of these days my BFF will figure it out herself and do more than keep a relatively empty blog!

Manic Monday - "Want"

The word of the day for Manic Monday this week is "want" and even though there are a lot of things I want I felt that perhaps just writing a laundry list of them and using it as a post might be a bit boring not to mention taking the easy way out so instead, as seems to be the case for my last few Manic Monday posts, I went in search of a good song to use.

I dismissed "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls right off the bat as even though the lyrics "Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, so tell me what you want, what you really really want ..." certainly do fit the requirements for the word of the day, I want to let you know right here and now that I really don't like that song or that group! I briefly toyed with the idea of using the song "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys as, if I'm being honest, I'll admit to having liked the group as I thought their vocalizations and harmony were fantastic, boy-band or not! Besides, the girls liked them for awhile (just don't remind Amanda of that!) and I was able to use them as an excuse for listening to their music. However, not wishing to incur the derision of fellow bloggers I dismissed that idea. Oh, and for the record I might as well admit that I liked N'Sync and 98 Degrees, too - so there!

Moving along I then thought about the song "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick, a band that I saw at the very first big concert I ever attended at the Philadelphia Spectrum way back in 1978 when they opened for Foghat. Wow - that was 3o years ago, wasn't it?!? Okay, now I've made myself feel old ... Anyhow, I was actually going to use that song and write a bit about Cheap Trick but then I came across the following video and decided to use it instead -

"I Want Love" by Sir Elton John

"I Want Love" was released in 2001 and is off of Elton's 27th studio album, Songs From the West Coast. This single was hailed as Elton's finest in almost 20 years and, if you're an Elton John fan as I am, it's easy to see why this John Lennon-inspired ballad is certainly worthy of being called that. The video features actor Robert Downey, Jr. lip-syncing the lyrics in one continuous shot as he wanders around an empty mansion. When director Sam Taylor-Wood came up with the idea for the video, Downey was in drug rehab and he felt that the lyrics were pertinent to what he was going through; Elton thought it was the perfect choice and so they went with it.

Being the curious sort, I always like to try to find out what a song means but despite a rather exhaustive search, I wasn't able to find precisely what it was that Bernie Taupin meant when he wrote the lyrics to this song. I did, however, find a wide range of opinions as to what other people thought he meant. One person felt that, "While the singer may want something a little akin to a one-night stand rather than truly lasting love, it still speaks to any listener who has wanted some kind of affection, no matter what."

Another offered up the following, "The words are those of a man who is seeking a love that isn't the lighthearted, idealized, over-romantic type of the young, but rather, a love that is honest, without illusion. He is worn and beaten, and so is blunt as to what he expects. He might want us to believe he's been through so much that he has nothing to lose, but I think in just uttering all that he does, he is more vulnerable than he lets on. In the end, he wants a love that itself is blunt, real, raw, catastrophic, with feeling, it matters not, just so long as it is honest."

Yet another person felt the song referred to the fact that, "We've all been burned and it is hard to open up to someone again when you're afraid of being hurt but we all want love ... just a different kind ..." while another stated that, "It's about someone who wants to love, but they're unsure if it's now possible after so much emotional scarring they've endured." And, of course, there were a lot of others who mistakenly thought that the song was about Elton being gay as they seemed to have missed completely the fact that it was Bernie, who is not gay, who wrote the lyrics and not Elton, who had been out of the closet for quite a long time before this song was even released. " It is about his gayness and how he's always getting hurt in his gay relationships." Uhm, no ...

Whatever the song is about, and I think that all songs reach different people in different places, it's a very moving song and definitely one of Elton's finest - at least IMHO! We all do want love, even those of us who have been burned by it before. For those of us who have had, shall we say, difficulties with love the lyrics that speak the loudest in this song might just be -

"I want love on my own terms
After everything I've ever learned..."

The problem, of course, is finding it or - maybe even more difficult - letting it find you.

Now, having said that, I want to dedicate this post to two people who I know most definitely want and deserve love - Morgen, who recently experienced the heartbreaking end of his 15-year relationship to someone who neither deserved or appreciated him and is still trying piece his life back together bit by bit; and Mimi, who, if possible, is even more of a romantic than I am and who had one of the most special loves I've seen in awhile take place right here in the Blogosphere only to have it undermined and weighed down by the complexities of everyday life. I truly do want you both to be happy and in love. You both deserve it.

So, that's what I want but what do you want? What do other people want? Leave me a comment and tell me what you want, what you really, really want (erg!) and then click on over to Morgen's Manic Monday post at It's a Blog Eat Blog World to see what other Manic Monday minions want. Go on - you know you want to!

A Truly Miserable Post ... Depending on Where You Live!

Way back at the end of January, Forbes.com posted their annual list of the Ten Most Miserable Cities in America. I would have posted about it sooner but I prefer to offer non-breaking news here at AWTY?? in an effort to be a non-trendsetter! Well, that and my darling daughter never got around to doing the artwork I had asked her to do so I had to attempt some creativity on my own. Trust me, the child did not get her artistic talent from her mother!

Anyhow, back to the list which I have to take some exception to as I've been to six of the ten cities on the list, passed through another three in the course of my travels, and have to admit to having no knowledge whatsoever of the tenth but that still doesn't stop me from having an opinion! As a matter of fact, I spent a good many years residing in the city that landed at the #2 spot on the list and I am somewhat surprised that it not only made the list but achieved #2 in the ranking as that just seems a bit unfair. Perhaps true in some ways but unfair nonetheless because it's being compared to cities that are much, much larger.

In order to rate the most miserable cities in the country, Forbes needed some sort of guidelines to go by in an effort to be fair and not just pick ten random cities out of a hat. One of the indicators most often used to measure misery, which is defined as "a state of great unhappiness and emotional distress", is the Misery Index which was created by economist Arthur Okun and adds the unemployment rate to the inflation rate. In addition to that there is the Misery Score which is the sum of corporate, personal, employer and sales taxes in different countries. Forbes decided to expand on the Misery Index and the Misery Score to create their very own Forbes Misery Measure. They kept the unemployment and personal tax rates and then added four more factors that can make Americans quite miserable: commute times, weather, crime, and toxic waste dumps.

Forbes then looked at only the 150 largest metropolitan areas which supposedly meant a population of 370,000 or more and this is one of the areas where I take exception to this list as there are several cities on it that don't meet the population requirement. Whether I agree or not, though, Forbes added together the six factors in their Misery Measure and then ranked the cities accordingly. When all was said and done, the list ended up reading, from miserable to really miserable, like this:

10. Providence, Rhode Island - population 170,435
9. Charlotte, North Carolina - population 610,949
8. Modesto, California - population 204,242
7. Los Angeles, California - population 3,844,829
6. Chicago, Illinois - population 2,842,518
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - population 1,463,281
4. New York City, New York - population 8,143,197
3. Flint, Michigan - population 122,524
2. Stockton, California - population 284,418
1. Detroit, Michigan - population 886,671

I checked the population totals using the FactFinder on the website for the U.S. Census Bureau** and these are the current numbers based on the 2006 U.S. Census. Granted math was never my strong subject in school but it looks to me like there are four cities on that list that do not have populations over 370,000. If that's the case, then I don't see how those four cities could possibly be on this list. Somehow it just doesn't seem fair to me. But then again that's just me and not Forbes and it's their list - not mine.

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I have ties to Stockton, California - good ole' #2 on this list - so when I first saw this list my initial reaction was to pick up the phone and call my good friend MizCyn who currently resides in Stockton and has, I believe, lived there all of her life. She didn't seem at all surprised at the results and immediately began chanting "We're number two! We're number two!" After that she pointed out to me that "the study was done by an Oregonian and it's a well known fact that people from Oregon hate Californians." I guess that must be a well-known West Coast fact as I had never heard of it but she adamantly assured me that it was true. I've learned through the years not to argue with Cyndi as I very rarely win so I decided to accept the statement as fact, well known or not!

Still, no matter who did the survey and their feelings towards Californians, Stockton definitely has its problems and, even though they don't meet the population requirements that Forbes set for themselves, there's a lot to be miserable about. Foreclosures are at an all-time high, the unemployment rate in San Joaquin County (of which Stockton is the County Seat) just hit 10% in January, and their crime rate puts them at number two in the nation - probably with a bullet. No pun intended as crime has always been horrible in Stockton and in spite of the best efforts of the police department, it just seems to keep getting worse.

Having lived in Stockton for close to eight years myself and still having friends and former family living there, I like to see what's going on in my former city of residence and often read the local newspaper, The Stockton Record, online (we're allowed to read news sites at work so it's something to do when 911 isn't ringing off the hook). It seems like every day there's another shooting or robbery or burglary and, because The Record is nice enough to provide the stats every day, it's easy to see that the San Joaquin County Jail which is just outside of Stockton is filled to capacity and then some. For example, today they posted that "There were 91 bookings at the San Joaquin County Jail in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Friday. At that time, there were 1,517 people held at the jail, which has an official capacity of 1,411." Yep - crime is most definitely a problem in Stockton. It was when I lived there and worked at the police department and it still is now when I no longer live there or work at the police department!

Being number two in the nation for crime has got to be a tough title to carry, though, so it's no wonder that Stockton has gone through four police chiefs in five years. Ed Chavez, who retired as chief and became mayor of Stockton in 2003 was replaced by Police Chief Mark Herder who retired at the end of 2005 after only being in the position for two years. Herder was replaced by Chief Wayne Hose in 2006 who just retired on February 29th, again after only two years of service. His successor, Tom Morris, was sworn in as Stockton's newest Chief of Police in a ceremony at the department on Friday. Chief Morris has said that he'll stay at the helm of the department for three to five years "unless a personal issue arises that would cause him to change his mind" but who knows? I suspect it's a pretty tough job and there are going to be lots of obstacles in front of him.

One of the major obstacles that the new chief is going to face is scrutiny from the community itself. Apparently there was a bit of disgruntlement when the city choose to appoint from within its own ranks rather than conduct a nationwide search for a new chief. People complained of "cronyism" and the "good ole' boy" system but sometimes it just makes more sense to promote someone who is not only familiar with the department he's taking over but also with the city he is now in charge of. Just because you bring a new person in for the job doesn't guarantee that the crime rate is going to go down.

City Manager Gordon Palmer defended his choice to appoint the #2 man to the position by stating that Morris has "been trained and groomed for taking this job. He's probably the most qualified individual we've ever had to come in line for police chief." At the Police Department, Morris is considered a cop's cop and that means a lot to the men and women who are out on the streets fighting crime. "They picked the right guy," said Officer Gordon Gray, president of the Stockton Police Officers Association.

Stockton police Lt. John Mize, who has been with the department for 23 years, told The Record that Hose and Morris share similar virtues as leaders. "I've worked for both of these men for a good number of years, and I find they both have a strong community ethic, and they are very interested in maintaining good morale in the department." Mize said. "Those two things make our department effective at combating crime."

As Chief Hose's replacement, Morris plans on running things very much the same as his predecessor which might not be a bad thing considering that during Hose's time as badge #1 the city's violent crime rate actually dropped slightly and Stockton had its fewest criminal homicides since 1997. Granted, there were still 29 of them but if the number was down from previous years, that's a good thing, right? Who knows, maybe having a "new-old" man at the helm who holds onto some old values but has the foresight to try new things might just turn around Stockton's crime rate and help get them off of Forbe's list of the ten most miserable cities.

As for the other measures of misery that put Stockton on the list ... well, I'm not as well read in those and can't really say much. Stockton has its redeeming factors just as I'm sure every other city on that list does. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what good it does to post a list of the Ten Most Miserable Cities in America to begin with as I'm sure it doesn't give the people who live in those places the warm fuzzies (though I'm pretty sure that people who live in New York, Philly, or Providence don't give a flying fig what anyone thinks!) and certainly doesn't encourage any sort of positive growth from potential industries. Perhaps Forbes would be better off adhering to the lyrics of a song made popular by both Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters -

"You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative ..."

Of course, that probably wouldn't sell as many magazines, would it?

**For more guidance in getting the most out of the recently updated U.S. Census website, click on this link which will show you how to navigate the site and help you find just what you're looking for! 

Cleveland Police Officer Becomes First Line of Duty Death in March

Officer Derek Owens, Badge No. 746 of the Cleveland Police Department, succumbed to a gunshot wound to the abdomen on March 1st at the MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio making him the first line of duty death in the month of March.

According to Cleveland Police spokesman Lt. Tom Stacho, Officer Owens and his partner approached four men around 6:20 p.m. on Friday evening in the southeast side of the city after receiving complaints that men were drinking beer in an abandoned garage. Police had received numerous complaints from residents about the neighborhood, which is made up of duplexes, many of which are boarded-up and vandalized, and the officers recognized the men from previous neighborhood patrols. When the men attempted to flee the scene, the officers chased the men on foot.

Officer Owens caught up with one of the men, who turned around and shot the officer in the abdomen just beneath his bulletproof vest. Owens returned fire and the suspect then exchanged shots with Owens' partner but no one else appeared to be injured. "This was two officers aggressively doing their jobs," Lt. Thomas Stacho said. "This is what they do every day."

Fellow officers rushed the injured Owens to MetroHealth Medical Center in the back of a cruiser where he underwent surgery receiving over five pints of blood. Despite the best efforts of hospital surgeons, the 10-year veteran of the department died from his wounds at approximately 12:13 a.m.

At 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning, Officer Owens’s body was escorted by a contingent of fellow police officers to the Cuyahoga County coroner’s office where a brief ceremony was held that ended with an American flag draped over his body.

“It is a sad day for the Cleveland Police and all of Greater Cleveland. The death of Officer Owens is senseless and tragic. He was a true hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving his community. My prayers go out to his family," said Police Chief Michael McGrath.

Officer Owens had worked in the 4th District since he was hired in September of 1998. He leaves behind his wife, an 8-year-old daughter, and a 6-year-old son.

Again, this was a senseless and tragic killing of a man whose job it was to protect and serve made even more senseless by the fact that the suspected shooter is a 19-year old male who had his whole life ahead of him before this life-ending event. This senseless killing of our Law Enforcement officers needs to stop and it needs to stop soon.

Previews of Coming Attractions ...

There are a couple of posts that I've been trying to work on now for well over a week or two but have run into one roadblock after another. With one I had wanted Amanda to do some artwork for me to go along with the post but lately with that kid it's the proverbial "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" philosophy except it should read more like "you can sit a kid in front of her tablet but you can't make her draw!" I am either going to have to forgo the artwork completely, try doing it myself, or find a better form of bribe than what I've used in the past! Why, oh why, do artistic types have to be so stubborn??

As for the other post I've been working on, the only thing I'm going to say there is that eventually it's going to require me to buy some travel supplies as I might have a need for them. It's kind of exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time and that's all I'm going to say about that! You'll just have to keep checking back to see what's up when I actually get around to writing the thing. Oh ... and I'm not waiting for any artwork from Amanda on that one!

Let's Make That 4 Cents (Another Short Rant)

Has anyone heard of this new weight loss stuff called Akavar? It's one of those weight loss supplements that claims that "you can eat all you want and still lose weight". Right ... sure ... if there really was such a thing and it worked I would be the first one selling off my off-spring in order to afford a constant supply!

Even though it would be nice if there was a "miracle pill" out there that could help people lose weight and keep it off without giving up all the really good stuff like bread, potatoes, cookies, cakes. double cheeseburgers with all the fixin's, fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, etc., etc. there really just is no such thing. Funny how we can put a man on the moon (and what good did that do now that I think about it?) but we can't come up with a weight loss supplement that really and truly works.

It's too bad that there are so many companies out there with so many products making all these false claims and taking everyone's money. It's a shame that the snake oil salesmen are still around but now hide behind computer monitors instead of standing in front of their wagons.

Just sayin' is all!

Just My 2 Cents (A Short Rant)

I'm supposed to be writing a post about funny t-shirts but I'm not thrilled with t-shirts right now. Well, at least not the latest t-shirt that I ordered online for Amanda. It claimed to be a women's XL but unless the woman in question is a midget, I don't think that's very accurate! As much as I like shopping online for the convenience and the selection, sometimes it's not all that great because you can't get a good idea of what size something really is as manufacturers seem to be all over the place with sizes anymore. There are probably twenty-seven different definitions of XL when it comes to sizing these days but if you're going to say something is an XL and it really isn't, could you at least get it into the Large range versus the Small range? Heck, Jamie wears a Medium and there's no way this shirt would even fit her! And it wasn't cheap either - it cost well over $20!

I don't know about the rest of you but I certainly don't find anything funny about a t-shirt that doesn't fit!

A Rude Awakening

It's the first day of March and I was woken up by the sound of snowplows out in front of the house this morning around 5:30. For those who live in the West and have never had the pleasure of listening to a snowplow passing by in front of your house please trust me - they make more noise than a New York Moving Company complete with six cursing musclemen! Yeah, that probably doesn't make much sense, does it? Sounded good, though when I first thought about it!

Anyhow, I don't know about anyone else out there but I am sick and tired of the cold and snowy weather of this winter. Granted, it probably hasn't been as bad as it has been in past years but I'm not really concerned about past years because I'm living in the here and now of this year and this year winter just seems to be going on forever!

I am so ready for Spring to arrive with daffodils and birds chirping and trees budding and some warm sunshine. Granted, the evenings have been lasting a little longer before we go to pitch black and the mornings haven't been quite as dark (though that will change when we "spring back" next Saturday into Sunday) so that's a start but enough with the snow already!!

Yep, mornings like this are when I have to ask myself again why it is I live in New England??