Happy New Year!!! Well, almost

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! Now comes the time for resolutions. I resolve to lose 50 lbs. this year as I'm tired of carrying this extra tub of lard around my midsection. I know, so sexy right, but yeah, not so much. I also resolve to stop wasting my time reading about the drains on society, a.k.a. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and all other celebrities that are famous for being famous though do not contribute positively to our society in any way, shape or form. I know, I'm more likely to lose the 50 lbs. than the latter resolution, but it's my resolution none the less.

On a more serious note, I wish that we as a world can bring about peace to those areas that are without, feed those people who have nothing to eat, and each contribute a little bit of ourselves to worthy causes.

I really do want world peace at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Put Away Rudolph!

Christmas is over folks. As I've said before, it's like a major build-up that's over in 5 minutes. Once the presents are ripped open, it's all downhill from there. What is our next big moment? That's right, New Year's. I guess it depends on how you feel about this holiday as to what you get excited about. Are you a party person, looking forward to the bashes and get-togethers that almost always accompany December 31st? Or are you the avid sports fan that is prepping your butt from going numb during the 1500 bowl games on January 1st? Of course there is always the Rose Parade if you're into the pageantry and beauty that is about a gazillion flowers glued to cardboard and other paraphernalia. Me, I'm just looking forward to sleeping in. I'm all about getting my sleep on. I know, boring. Another sign of me getting older when I'm most excited about it being over. That and the fact that I was super excited that I bought a prelit fake Christmas tree yesterday for $50. How sad is that?

What a deal! at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Merry Christmas Eve!

First off, you may notice a difference in the layout of the blog. Don't notice the difference? Well, I don't blame you as only one person besides myself seems to read it. Whatcha think Tammy? Snazzy huh? :)

Okay, back to Christmas. It's Christmas Eve folks! Tis the night before Christmas, or it will be in approximately 12 hours. I write this post from my post at work. Shhh, don't tell anyone. Okay, so I write many of my posts from work. Big surprise huh? I'm always so busy at work as you can see. Well, my boss and I are the only ones that had to come into work on this joyous occasion, and the lady at Starbucks, and the poor souls working the retail market. Sorry about your luck guys. I have to say that it's not too bad other than being ultra quiet.

After I leave here, I will be joining the crazy masses searching out that last gift that I should have picked up months ago, if I were a more sensible person. Since I am not, you get whatever hasn't been pick off the near-empty shelves at Tar-jay. It's the thought that counts right? Currently I'm hoping that my child doesn't notice that her gift from Santa is coming in a big ol' Target box. I'm not that optimistic as she seems to notice these types of things. Oh well, Santa likes getting good deals too right? It's the age of technology. I'm sure even Santa does a little internet shopping.

Tonight begins the annual 24 hours of A Christmas Story. How great is that movie? It's not Christmas without seeing that. I had the DVD though it is now lost. I'm pretty sure my brother has it but he says he doesn't. Just like when we were kids. Sorry, off subject. I'm so looking forward to seeing little Ralphie in his pink bunny outfit, waiting for his Red Ryder range model air rifle and being told he'll shoot his eye out. Now what Christmas hasn't ended in just this way? I'm pretty sure my brother did the same thing, well, not shoot his eye out but I think he came close.

Well, here's to wishing you and your's a wonderful Christmas, Chaunakah, Kwanza, or other appropriate seasons greeting (feel free to insert here). I'm hoping for no emergency room visits.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Tis the season of giving

Okay folks, less than 5 shopping days left until Christmas. I am a procrastinator so, of course, I am frantically searching for gifts for my family. In my search I came across MSN's gift guide to alternative gifts. Alternative gifts? you ask. Yes, instead of buying Uncle Fred a pair of ugly red socks that he will never wear you can donate money in his name to save a lemur. Yep, a lemur. If lemurs are not up your alley, you can save part of the rain forest, or drinkable water supplies, or a tiger. How cool is that? Well, they had a link to Heifer International. This is a charitable organization that helps provide sustainable animals to communities around the world that need help. It was $120 for a goat that can provide up to a gallon of milk a day for a family. If you're poor, like I am, you can buy a share of a goat for $10. I bought 2 shares and feel a little better about myself now. Plus they're tax-deductible. So if you're not feeling totally generous just because it's the Christmas season, do it for the tax deduction and you get to help a family as a little bonus. :) I always feel guilty as I'm coming out of a store with my stash of goods and see the little Salvation Army bucket sitting there. I always feel compelled to dunk a dollar when I can. Now I can say I did a little, plus I donated Toys for Tots.

Is this enough to secure my place in heaven? at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

The end is nigh...part 2

Okay, so I admit that I've become addicted to reading articles on the trainwrecks that are Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton even though they contribute nothing positive to our society. I don't know why I'm surprised that this was a leading story today. Do we not have any other more pressing news in the world today? Between Jamie-Lynn and her sister, they get more press than any of the soliders that died in the war. Sad isn't it? Maybe they're whole family would be better off if the media would stop covering their antics. Of course, it's been reported that their mother is writing a parenting book. Because she's done such a good job so far on her kids, you want her guiding other parents right? I'm no Dr. Phil, but I'd have to pass on buying that one.

In other news, during one of my latest shopping excursions I happened to pass a Hollister store. I've never been a fashionista so it's not surprising that I've never shopped in this store before. That and the fact that the largest size they seem to carry wouldn't fit my big toe. Anyway, curious, I walked through the store shaking my head at the size of clothes today when I came across a mannequin sporting a tank top, short shorts and leg warmers. Yep, leg warmers. C'mon, for serious? Leg warmers are back in style? Not only that, but they sell arm warmers. I realize I'm not hip, but if you need arm warmers, wouldn't you just wear, I don't know, a long-sleeve shirt? Guess that's not in style. I feel suddenly old, fat, and way out of style. I'm not saying we need to be transported back to the last time leg warmers were in style (waiting for the flashbacks of big hair, spandex and neon colors to subside) but wow. What's next cut off the end of socks and call them toe warmers?

Aqua Net is getting ready for a comeback at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

WTF? Again

Okay, so my WTF? for the week is as follows...

Don't know if you've heard of the "Bonnie and Clyde" couple out of Pennsylvania that apparently stole the identities of their friends and neighbors to finance some lavish lifestyle which included trips to Paris, Hawaii, expensive spa trips and clothes. Didn't look they were hurting for money. Did they turn themselves in? Nope, got caught after they ordered like $2000.00 worth of lingerie with a neighbor's credit card and went to pick it up. The neighbor was notified that she had a package and she was all, "I didn't order anything." Busted. Their attorney says they've finally "realized what they've done", which for everyone is code for "got caught in the act." They didn't suddenly become remorseful, they just have to play it up to try to get out of going to prison. I say throw the book at them. If this were some everyday Joe off the street that had stolen roughly $100,000 (this year alone the story goes) they would be in prison faster than you can say, "don't drop the soap." But because it's a couple of young, good-looking, white kids from well-to-do families, they probably won't get anything too hard. Am I the only one thinking that this is messed up? If they had robbed a bank for $100,000.00 they'd already be in prison. Is it less heinous that they stole from their neighbors, breaking into their mailboxes and their apartments to steal their credit cards and what not? I think not.

In other news, there's some article that says Britney Spears's erratic behavior is caused by her "toxic diet" of fast food and junk. I know what you're thinking, "why do you care about Britney Spears?" I liken it to seeing a car crash, you don't want to look at it, but somehow you can't stop yourself. I end up reading these articles and seeing the pictures and thinking, "What a moron and yet she's still richer than I ever could hope to be and for what? What does she contribute to our society? Anything positive?" Nope. Anywho, back to the point. So they say that because she downs frappachinos and Taco Bell drive-thru, it's cause for her craziness to include, but not limited to, shaving her head, attacking the paparazzi, ignoring her kids, etc., etc. I don't buy it. It's another cop-out for a famous person that doesn't have to be accountable for his or her actions. I eat Taco Hell and drink lattes and I'm not out shaving my head, or being investigated by social services. Grow up. I realize it's because of people like me that she's still in the news. If no one covered any of her shenanigans (yeah, I said shenanigans) she wouldn't be famous, period. Maybe then she'd get straightened out. Oh yeah and she's turned all klepto too. If we stole a lighter and a wig and a bunch of dresses we'd be in jail, but because she's famous, she's still out and about and stealing more stuff. Explain the logic to me.

This is kinda off track of the rest of my post but is this irony or what? The title of the article says it all. And they wonder why our education system isn't up to par.

Weening myself off National Enquirer (like I read that, I just look at the front page at the grocery store) at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

I'm going to need some Christmas detox

So they had another couple of Christmas specials on last night. Shrek the Halls (yeah, I didn't make that up) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I think they're going to run out of specials before we're even close to the Big Day. On that note, isn't it a bit of a letdown? I mean, we spend close to 4 months (if you go by the store's schedule of marketing) building up to Christmas. I'm talking decorations and songs and overdoses of nostalgia and then December 25th roles up and BAM! gone. Nothing. The big thrill is over without any gradual weaning from the holly and poinsettia. It's like Christmas is a drug and everyone has to quit cold turkey. Make sense, probably not. Pretty much as soon as 12/25 is over, everything shuts down, the songs stop, the decorations come down and the only thing to look forward to is the after-Christmas clearance sales and credit card bills. Am I the only one noticing this?

25 1/2 more shopping days at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

The countdown has begun

Okay, so we should all be over our turkey hangover, and if you were brave enough to venture out during Black Friday you know that Christmas (or Holiday, if you're overly-PC) fever has hit. From now until December 25th, I'm sure to have many posts devoted to the various aspects of the season.

This said I feel I must comment on A Charlie Brown Christmas. This is one of the constants of the Christmas season. When we were kids, we knew that we would see Charlie Brown, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Christmas Story (you'll shoot your eye out!). I'm sure I'll be posting about the last of the list closer towards C-Day. 24 hours of A Christmas Story on TNT and/or TBS. 'Nuff said. Anywho, back to Charlie Brown.

They showed this tonight and I was struck by two things. One, it seems way too early for this to be shown. It's not even December yet and they're already showing the Christmas specials. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when stores are putting out Christmas crap even before Halloween. Sad, but true.

Two, we may never see more specials made after say 1990 that has "Christmas" in the title. Now we're all so politically correct that it must be "Holiday". They even mentioned today on The Morning Mash-Up (gratuitous Sirius plug here) that Lowes, a.k.a. We're The Other Home Depot, is no longer offering Christmas trees. They are now known as "Family Holiday Trees." A little over the top? Ya think?!? I understand the desire to keep everyone happy but it's winter, after Thanksgiving, which in America, and for a good chunk of the world, this means Christmas. Does everyone celebrate it, no, but I don't think it's too much to hope that not everyone will be offended by saying "Merry Christmas." I blame the people that have nothing better to do with their time than to wreck stuff for other people. I think these are the same people that watch every television show and movie and then write to the FCC, MPAA, FBI, PTA, etc., to narc out every curse word, sexual innuendo, and possible phallyic symbol in the place and wreck it for everyone else. Thanks guys.

Is that what that was on The Little Mermaid box? at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Black roses for everyone!

We all know my opinion of The Bachelor. Thus I found myself in front of the television (big surprise, right?) last night as I watched Samantha Who? which is actually pretty good. Unfortunately I was sucked into watching portions of the dreaded finale of that last bastion of chauvinism which is The Bachelor. If you haven't been living under a rock for the last few years, you should know that on the season finale The Bachelor (I so like the fact that it's capitalized, illustrating his manliness) in question drops a rose on the last woman that hasn't become so disgusted with her gag-inducing performances from the last few weeks or so, thus the engagement! How likely are the impending nuptuals? Going by the track record of the previous Bachelors, I'd say they have less than a 5% chance of actually getting married, but that's just my opinion. Onto the show...

Well, guess Mr. Bar Owner decided he didn't want to be married to either one of the ladies left from the catfight from hell. Not that I blame him. I only saw a bit of the upcoming previews and was ready to ralph from the nastiness that was spewing from their mouths. "I love you and would do anything for you!!!" said one woman. "I like how I've felt the last few weeks and want to continue to feel this way," said another. I would too if I got to stay in a mansion and date a hot guy with no strings attached. Whatever. I about laughed my butt off when he didn't choose either. Some people were all tweaked out about that. "How could he do that to those girls? He said he'd be honest, what a jerk." Like the girls didn't know going in that they could be dumped on national television. Once again, whatever.

You go Brad! at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Underachievers Unite!

I'm such a shlub. It's been almost six years since my last child was born. I am overweight by about 40 lbs. still though I'm working on it. I know, I'm lazy, but hey, better late than never right? Well, I thought that too until I read this. Now I feel like a major underachiever, and a real fat ass. Guess it goes with the territory.

I'm just waiting for the hate mail

Okay, so I've never been superhuge on politics. Reason being is that no matter what your party affiliation, be it Democrat or Republican, whoever gets voted into the White House will probably suck. It's just the way things go.

However, it seems that ol' W sucks more than most lately. I can't think of another president that got us into a war, our economy in the toilet, the dollar not being worth much to the rest of the world and creating a deficit like you wouldn't believe. Maybe it's just me but I think he needs to go.

For all those W'04 folks, are you happy? Just wondering. I'm not saying that John Kerry would have been much better, but I don't think he could have been much worse. It's pretty sad when you ask people who they're voting for and more responses were, "Well, I'm not voting for John Kerry as much as I'm voting against George Bush." Yeah, good times.

I only bring this up as there are more and more concerns with all this money that has been appropriated for the war and then not being accounted for. The State Department can't account for over 1 billion (yep with a "b") dollars, yet the President is asking for more money. I don't think it's all for the troops since they still complain about not having the right amount of materials, supplies, appropriate equipment, and we all know they're not getting paid what they should. My guess is that this going to all those government contractors (Halliburton) that have done such a good job so far (Blackwater) in supporting the war on terror and freeing the people of Iraq.

Anyone else wondering what happened to the fight in Afghanistan? Isn't that where Osama bin Laden is supposed to be? Isn't he the one that they said masterminded the whole 9/11 plot and that's the reason why we needed to go to war? So what's up with Iraq? No WMDs, Sadaam's gone, and the people aren't any freer. So why go to war? To help the oppressed people of Iraq? Probably not because if that were the case we'd be in a whole lot more countries trying to help those folks like in Darfur. Well, they don't have vast oil reserves there do they? Was that out loud?

Okay, so that was my rant for the day. I'm sure I'm getting something from a Bush supporter coming my way. Hopefully it won't be ticking.

Hoping for a new perspective at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

God bless the snow birds

Okay, I'm momentarily speechless to see that someone besides my best friend (Miss Tamarita!!!) read some of my blog. Yeah!!!!! Extra exclamation points for everyone!!!!! Pass them around equally.

Alright, my momentary lapse of sanity is behind me...for the moment anyway. So I have to have at least one rant about the ludicrousness (is that a word?) of how the snow birds drive down here. In case you haven't read my previous post on the joys of driving in Florida during Season, please feel free to use this as a reference. It took me a whopping hour to get home last night. Generally the same drive takes between 20 and 30 minutes. Why the delay you ask? Accident? Construction? Nope, a whole crapload of people from the Great White North down here for their annual pilgrimage to the warm sunny weather of Florida. Average age of said pilgrims is roughly 900, and yet they're all still driving. Oh the horror. I managed to pass the single-file line of Lexuses, BMWs, Mercedes, etc. that the affluent masses tend to gravitate to and pass them at what felt like lightspeed, but in reality was a whopping 55 mph. How sad is that?

I think they do it on purpose. I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but when some little old lady cuts me off to drive 40 in a 55 zone, I think it's on purpose. I'm waiting for the stroke to hit.

Only 6 more months of this at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Happy Halloween!

It's the 31st of October y'all. That means that the little (and not so little) ones across the country are girding their loins for the battle of the candy corn. Well, maybe not candy corn because, honestly, who really enjoys candy corn. It ranks right up there with circus peanuts. Yuck. Back to the subject at hand...

So everyone under the age of 18 (or so) has scoured the stores and websites to find the right costume in which to panhandle for candy. Mine are going as a pink Power Ranger (oh, the horror!) and a cheetah (or leopard, or some other big cat as advertised on the plastic package). Not to be confused with the skankadelic costumes available for girls above the age of 4. Have you seen some of these costumes? Yikes. They're the type of costumes that your child can trick or treat in and then head straight to the strip club. Someone's gotta make the cash to pay for them right? Oy! Anyway, every man, woman and child should be out in full force this evening grabbing all the Reese's, Hershey's and M&M's they can handle. Tis the American Way! Be sure to watch for little ones darting across the streets in search of the elusive full-size candy bar.

Let the sugar rush begin at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

I need a hug

So here's my rant for the day...

I've been following that story about the lady dying in police custody at the Phoenix airport. If you haven't heard, she was apparently headed to Tuscon to check herself into an alcohol rehab clinic. Instead she got bumped off a flight and threw a fit which got her arrested. While she was in a holding cell, she managed to strangle herself while trying to get the handcuffs from around her back. Now I understand that her family is upset, I would be too, but the husband (that was not accompanying his wife) has said that all she needed was a hug. If they had been more caring and treated her "humanely" that she would not be dead now.

In this age of terrorism and the color chart from hell, how were the cops supposed to know that the woman was simply overemotional? If they hadn't arrested her after she started screaming and throwing things, people would have been outraged that they didn't act accordingly. Now it turns out she was allegedly drunk and emotionally unstable. I say, if you knew she was having problems and was about to check herself into a rehab center, wouldn't you have accompanied her to make sure it went smoothly? Am I being overly callous in thinking, where the heck was her "caring" family that were so worried about her? NO, because if it had been someone other than an affluent white woman that had been arrested for causing a disturbance and screaming "I'm not a terrorist" in a major American airport, they would have been taken down in hearbeat with no explanation needed. Kudos to the Phoenix airport police for doing what they were supposed to do. I understand that you don't have the luxury of sitting with every wacko to find out what they're "feeling" before they do something the could hurt lots of people.

Thanks DHS at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

Almost everything is right with the world

Though Saturday was fabulous (what did I say Urban Meyer?) today, not so much. USC finally went down...to Stanford. Yep, Stanford! The school that is The Cardinal but has a mascot that's a tree. Don't ask me to explain it. They must know what they're doing. They have enough doctors graduating from Stanford to justify this train of thought. Anyhoo, so USC fell to a team that couldn't really compete, their words not mine, and LSU beat Florida after scaring the crap out of me. Yep, got pretty scared in the 4th quarter when Florida scored a touchdown and LSU really hadn't done much. Then all those going for it on 4th down, yikes. But Les knew what he was doing, it worked...a lot. Now they should be #1 without question. Florida should totally fall but they probably won't. Just like USC won't fall far even thought they lost...to Stanford. That's how the BS BCS works. So it starts.

The Saints lost...again...to Carolina...with the Carolina 3rd string quarterback. Okay, so technically it was the 2nd string quarterback, but he had been the 3rd stringer until Jake Delhomme got hurt. So he was pretty much the 3rd string QB. And Drew and Reggie blew it...again. I still root for them, but damn, they suck! It's like they're getting paid to lose. C'mon guys, wake up!!!! How can you play so good last year, and be so sucky this year? I'd look to next week but I don't think it matters too much.

4th and another loss at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

A rose by any other name would smell not so good

So I watched part of The Bachelor the other night. I don't know why. That seems to be the general sentiment of all who view the show...why? Why do these women who seem relatively smart and pretty and have lots going for them subject themselves to the rejection and utter humiliation that is The Bachelor? Maybe it's for their 15 seconds of fame, maybe they're naive enough to actually believe they will get married if they're "chosen". I personally think they're not right in the head.

If for some reason you haven't seen this show or it's like 20 seasons before it, the premise is that one guy, one guy!, gets to choose from say about 20 hot women. He goes on dates with them and generally tries them on for size. And I do mean tries them on (eyebrows waggling here). The group of women is selectively reduced (probably more like cut from the herd) and then he's left with the one woman who receives a marriage proposal. Yeah, I see what's in it for the guy, but these girls are grouped into this gaggle of female hormones and all the wonderful things that go along with that. You women out there who have ever had to share a bathroom with more than one other woman know what I'm talking about here. If they're truly blessed, they'll receive a date with the dude without the other 20 other chicks in the house. So far, I've only seen the group dates and yuck. Who wants some other woman's sloppy seconds, let alone 19 other women's sloppy seconds? Maybe it's just me. Then at the end of these "dates" and the get to know you sessions, he eliminates a couple of ladies. Basically telling them in front of a national audience, "Sorry, but you suck and you're just not good enough for me." Yeah, sounds like a great time.

Is this the message that we should be sending young women around the country? Despite the fact that your successful, smart, beautiful, if you don't land this one guy and beat out all these other girls, you'll be a failure. WTF? Also, knowing the history of this show, who thinks that they're going to get married at the end anyway? How many of the couples from previous The Bachelor shows are married? That's right, none. Yep, so successful. Where's Dr. Phil when you need him? I personally think the cat fighting and back stabbing is pretty funny considering these people put themselves in this situation, but c'mon ladies! Buck up and think more of yourself than just selling it on ABC!

So much for empowerment at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

It's so on now!

So the Gators went down on Saturday (say it with me folks...YEAH!!!!! Suck that Urban Meyer!) and the LSU game is poised to be a good one. They're even bringing Mike to the stadium for this game. Unfortunately, those darn AP people are trying to jinx them before the October 6 game. What are these people trying to do to me?

All said, Saturday was good. LSU gave us a bit of a scare the first quarter or so, but honestly, did any of us think the Green Wave was going to pose a problem for them? As for UF, am I the only one out there that thought that the whole "icing" the kicker was pretty sleazy? I think that if the coach tells the ref that he's going to call a time out just as the ball is snapped, it should count as a time out the second "I'm going to be calling a time out" leaves their lips. It's not just this game, it's every game that these coaches are pulling this prank. Just not cool people. Not cool. Props to the Auburn kicker though. Not only did he pull it off the first time (as Meyer was calling his time out), but also pulled it out the second time. It was even prettier the second time around. Let me reiterate my earlier statement...Suck on that Urban Meyer!

Geaux Tigers at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Now it's over

So the season seems to be officially over because poor Deuce is out. Poor Deuce seems to get crapped on every year. Why is that? He's a hard worker that's not looking for a lot of media attention, though he should get some. He screwed up his knee because Drew hung him out to dry. Oy. I think it's safe to say that their season is not going to be pretty. I think at this point, with the way they're playing, they'll be lucky to have 5 wins. 2 of those being over the Falcons. We'll see what happens.

Covering my eyes at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

News from an incubus of plague

Yep, that's right! I've caught some upper respiratory bug and I'm just so enjoying it. Besides the fact that I sound like a twelve-year-old boy going through puberty, the hacking is making everyone at work happy. Nothing says love like drowning out your phone conversations with phlegm-based coughing. Nice. Glad we have that nifty anti-bacterial stuff. Hope my coworkers are bathing in the stuff.

Well, the Wolverines proved that they aren't the worst team in college football. They're at least the second-worst team in college football. What's worse, losing to Appalachian State, or losing to the team that lost to Appalachian State? I think that's what Charlie Weiss is pondering. Well, that and where is he moving to next.

Hang in there Lloyd! @ life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

Train Wreck In The Big House

So it's only the beginning of the second quarter, and the Irish have fumbled the ball twice, snapped the ball about a mile over Claussen's head twice and Michigan has scored 10 points. So far, I'm loving it. It's early I know, but I'm hoping for the best. After losing to Appalacian State, it can only get better right?

More updates to come!

Lest we forget

The kids are back in school. The trees are turning color (up north). It is now September 11th again. It will never be regarded as just another day. The terrorists made sure of this. Today you will see many flags at half-mast, people talking about what they were doing and where they were when the plane hit the second tower, and just in general celebrating how much we cherish our loved ones.

While this terrorist act cost so many people their lives, it also made everyone appreciate what they have. Mothers will hug their children a little tighter today, friends will be more willing to share today, because we will never forget what happened six years ago. Hard to imagine it was six years ago. I can still see the flames pouring out of the WTC and the acts of heroism that followed.

So it begins

If you haven't been living under a rock for the last 5 days, you know about Michigan's shame. While I'm not usually of a fatalist mindset, I totally saw this coming. How can this be, you ask? Well, every year the big football juggernauts (not the PAC-10 as Les Miles described them) schedule these games, tune-up games if you will, against these lower cupcake schools. They expect to blow them out and thus start the year on a high note. There was bound to be an upset at some point when you tempt the football gods one time too many.

Michigan was the unlucky school to have this happen. They just pushed it one game too far by not only scheduling a game against a cupcake football team, but by going down an entire division. Yes, Appalachian State was a I-AA division school (or sub-division, whatever they're calling it) and even though they have won that division championship a number of times, Michigan in their infinite, self-centered wisdom thought it would be no problem blowing these poor kids out of the water at The Big House. Nothing like handing a humiliation to wolverines in their own backyard.

So my college season hopes have been dashed for the maize and blue. I now have to rally behind the LSU Tigers in the hopes that they can pull it out and have a great season. Go Les!

As long U of M beats Notre Dame, it'll be okay @ life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Hyper-reality

Okay, so I've noticed that more and more celebrities are getting their own reality tv shows. There was Paris and Nicole, Britney and K-Fed, Hulk Hogan, Kathy Griffith, the list goes on and on. Now Posh Spice has her own show. Honestly folks, are we that desperate for entertainment that we have to watch a former Spice Girl/soccer star wife shop and complain about how much work she has to do in a day? I'll admit that I haven't watched it because a) I'm not into soccer, b) didn't especially enjoy the Spice Girls in their heyday, and c) don't want to depress myself by watching the super rich shop and buy and complain about how they don't have enough Rolexes and Ferraris and how hard their life is.

Can we get beyond this? I'd rather watch the people stuck in a house on that Big Brother show do nothing than watch some of this garbage. Maybe it's just me.

Enough venting at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

Good Hair Day

So I got the hair done last night. It turned out pretty good considering I thought I would like this:

Thankfully, it didn't. I went to a cosmotology school to have it done. I know what you're thinking, was I smoking crack? Not so much. I've only been there once before, for the perm that I had straightened last night, and other than it taking 5 hours for her to roll all my hair, it turned out okay. I say take as long as you need when it only costs $30 to get it done. I couldn't get my hair cut for that much at a snooty salon.

I'll admit that I had a couple of moments of wondering if my hair would fall out or turn green or some other hair nightmare, but I was pleasantly surprised. She did a really good job, and they got to learn something new as apparently no one else has come in there asking for a straight perm (or a straightening, not sure on the terminology). I gave a rather generous tip considering how little the service cost, but I would happily go back for hair cuts, highlights, etc. Just don't give me the girl whose hair was looking so rough she wore a baseball cap.

Not a good sign at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

I've come to realize that this blog has become my outlet to basically complain and gripe about various things that irk me. So be it. One of these things is that I would like someone to tell me the truth once in a while. What brought this on you ask? Pull up a chair dear reader and let me regale you with the story of my hubby's car.

So it started with my husband's Jetta not starting so well. He decided that it must be the battery. So he takes out the battery (much yelling and cursing involved), buys a new battery, and in the process of reinstalling said battery breaks a small T-bolt thing that hooks the battery cable to the battery. This piece of metal is only a couple of inches long and looks to cost about two dollars. Was I able to purchase this piece from the local auto parts store? No, of course not. Have to go to the dealership for this thing. So I wait until this morning and schlog myself to the VW dealership to be told that they don't have any in stock. Yippee. I have to wait until tomorrow. I then proceed to contact a VW dealership not too much farther away to ask if they have any in stock. I am then told that I can't buy the little bolt by itself. I have to buy a whole new cable assembly. Double yippee. When I call to check with the first dealership, I'm told that I don't have to buy the whole assembly, I can buy the little bolt. Now why would they tell me I have to buy the assembly do you think? Oh yeah, to totally rip me off. 'Tis the American Way apparently. Has this happened before? Why yes, yes it has. Broke my dad's sideview mirror on his truck so of course I had to replace it. When I called the dealership, I was told because it was a heated mirror, I would need to replace the entire housing which was roughly $250. After I stopped choking on my shock, I called another dealership. This dealership told me, no I could just replace the mirror glass for approximately $35. Quite the difference. Is it me? Is there something in my voice that screams, "Sucker here for the taking"? Just wondering.

Totally not falling for it at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Driving Update

So I live in the retirement capital of the world. We know this already. My irk is that while driving to work this morning, in a 55 mph zone mind you, I and many others were stuck driving, wait for it...a whopping 45 mph. Was there an accident? Construction Zone? Nope, three lanes of traffic all going the same speed because the three geniuses at the front of each lane decided to go exactly the same speed as each other. Classic.

If you are uncomfortable driving the posted speed limit, don't get on the roads. It's not like the Autobahn; we do have reasonable speeds expected of all drivers. Also, if there is no one ahead of you, but you look in your rearview mirror and see a neverending line of cars, chances are you're the problem. Speed up or get over. Ugh! And people wonder why there are so many cases of road rage. I'm pretty sure it's because of these folks.

Breathe in, breathe out at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

More than meets the eye...or not.

Hey all you movie buffs (I include myself in this group), I saw Transformers yesterday. Nothing says celebrate the independence of our country from English tyranny like watching CGI aliens battle it out for a CGI cube as they turn into cars, jets and tanks.

I remember the toys and the cartoon from when I was younger. I could only successfully transform Bumblebee as he only required three or so motions to get him from VW Beetle to robot. All others were beyond my limited mechanical capabilities. On this note, when they originally introduced Bumblebee was a Beetle, Megatron was a gun, and Soundwave was a boombox that had the nifty tapes that turned into a dog, a little guy, and a bird. Not so much anymore. Megatron is now a jet, Soundwave is a little annoying spider looking robot, and good ol' Bumblebee is a Camaro. Not only that, but he starts out as a late 70's, early 80's crappy Camaro and by the end of the movie is a rockin' 2009 Camaro. Gone is the little Beetle. Why you ask? Because the movie is basically a multi-million (maybe billion) dollar GM commercial. Don't get me wrong, the vehicles are smokin' hot, but the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. Way too many over the top cheesy lines and not enough good comedy or drama. The car pees on someone in the movie, for God's sake! I liked Shia, and who doesn't like Josh Duhamel (pretty hot) but it wasn't enough to make it worth standing in line and shelling out 15 bucks to see again.

Waiting for the DVD at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Happy 4th of July Eve!

We have reached the point in the year where we as Americans celebrate our independence. How do we do this you ask? By gathering with friends and family, watching parades and baseball games, eating barbecue and gazing at fireworks which dance across the night skies. Sorry if I wax a bit nostalgic, but I have good memories of the 4th of July doing exactly what I previously listed.

Being a band geek, we had to march in parades early in the morning before it got too hot and sticky. Then we would watch my little brother's little league games. Afterwards, or during depending on the schedule, we would gather with friends and family for grilling (I'll bring the potato salad!) where we would pig out on hamburgers, hot dogs and chips. After a full day of events, we would gather around the high school football field to watch the fireworks. Not impressive by big city standards, but still good nonetheless. Generally, we just tried to not poke each other in the eye with sparklers. Good times, good times.

I now find myself older, and hopefully wiser, and unfortunately more cynical. I hear Independence Day and I think of all the soldiers that are unable to be with their loved ones because they're overseas, either in a combat zone or not. I'm sure they're seeing fireworks they would rather not be seeing. I wish them the best, and pray for their safe return.

Make sure there's an extinguisher nearby at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Die Hard...Again?

So went to the movies this weekend and saw Live Free or Die Hard. I'll admit that I was skeptical as sequels tend to suck and this was sequel number 3. I was pleasantly surprised that it was entertaining on top of the shooting and explosions that are requisite of all action movies. Who can deny loving the whole "Yipey kiyay mother f*&#*$!" Classic Bruce!

In case you haven't read anything about this sequel, a cyberterrorist is holding America hostage for some cash. As Bruce says, "It's always about the money." While the actuality of this happening would hopefully be unlikely, it does make one wonder. If a computer hacker really wanted it to happen, what kind of contingency plan does the government have? As Justin Long's character states to John McClane's same question, "It took FEMA five days to get water to the Superdome." How long would it take the red tape mongers to fix something of this magnitude? Who'da thunk it, a Die Hard movie making me think. What's next, Britney Spears spouting philisophical theories? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

You killed a helicopter with a car at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Hard time?

So Paris Hilton is out of jail after a measley 72 hours of confinement. If you don't know this, and I really can't see how that's possible as it's plastered over the news every 5 seconds (that in and of itself very distrubing), she was supposed to serve like 23 days, down from the original 45 or so days for violating her probation like 3 times or so. Now I think it's horrible that the Average Joe off the street would be in jail in a heartbeat for a full term if they had done any of the above (drinking and driving, violating probation once, twice or three times a lady), but because she has money, by virtue of her parents having gobs of money, she was let loose with a slap on the wrist. Society as a whole is more than just a little screwed up as the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and our justice system can't handle the most mundane of tasks such as keeping someone who is supposed to be in jail, well in jail. I know I should not care about a person who does not contribute positively in anyway to society. But seeing the double standard of justice for the rich and famous got me a bit steamed. Who's with me?

Brains!!!!

Hello readers! Happy Friday to you all. Friday means the end of the work week (Thank GOD!) and the release of new movies. I happen to love cheesy movies of all sorts, be they comedies, horror, drama, heck even sci-fi. This being said, I have to say that I was looking forward to 28 Weeks Later. What horror fan wouldn't want to see this? After it's predecessor, 28 Days Later (that really introduced America to the creepiness that is Cillian Murphy, you know the airplane neighbor from hell) 28 Weeks Later has to be pretty okay. Granted it's a sequel and sequels in general suck, I still want to see it.

The critics seem to be split on this. Entertainment Weekly gives it a B+, which I think bodes well since most of the movies I like are on their C to D range (obviously, I'm not an Oscar watcher). MSNBC however said to avoid this movie at all costs. Rather harsh in my opinion. Did they say that about Lady in the Water? If not, they should have.

I've given this some thought and have come to the conclusion that I will never agree with movie critics. Why, you ask? Because they said that The Piano was an acclaimed, award-winning movie. I watched it...with my parents...when Harvey Keitel showed all his business. And I do mean all of his business. Bleh! (shudder) Then I tried watching The Crying Game, because they said, once again, it was an acclaimed, award-winning movie. Once again, with my parents...when she turns out to be a he in all his glory. IN ALL HIS GLORY. Bleh! (shudder) And they wonder why the ignorant masses turn out for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back instead of The English Patient.

On that note, how does one become a movie critic? I mean, everyone is a movie critic, but how does one get the gigs to be paid to watch movies and tell people whether or not you like them? That's the job I want. Sit on your butt enjoying what you do and getting paid for it. The American Dream right?

Paying $50 for popcorn and a drink at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

It's a conspiracy

See, the minute I mentioned the Gators hat, AdSense changed it to a "Are You Gay" quiz. Figures. I swear it said that too. I'm not crazy.

Just FYI

A little sidenote here...

I was checking the blog to make sure the last post, well posted. Because you're all waiting on pins and needles to see what my opinion of nothing is right? Anyway, I have that nifty adsense thing going on too. Why do I bother, you may ask? Well so I can get paid for doing nothing. Well, that's what the ad for adsense said. Oh and I guess you actually have to have readers to click on that nifty thing to get it going. Kinda like chasing my tail around in circles. Back to my point...

If any reader out there has actually read the blog, they know my love of all things UF, illustrated here and here. So I found it ironic that the adsense attached to my blog as (view to the left) University of Florida Gators Championship hat. Get yours here! Irony, I don't think so.

Get off the soapbox

Alrighty folks it's dry season in Gatorland South. This means that everything left in nature (and down here with all the development, it's not much) has roughly the same moisture content as the Sahara. This being said, we have been told that tossing lit cigarettes, and cigars, is illegal as it can cause brush fires. Whoda thunk it? Yet I see at least one person a day, tossing those little orange-red packages of joy onto the roads and into the grass. Good idea folks. Keep in mind that if it causes a brush fire with damage to structures you are held personally responsible. No really.

Better pull out the checkbook at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Two More Days!!!

Okay folks, draft time is upon us. So get out your mock draft boards and see if your draft compares with the actual draft. Will it be JaMarcus or Brady headed to Oakland? Maybe the Black Hole with take the star from GT. Will Detroit finally wise up and not take another wide receiver? It's all going to be played out on Saturday in New York when the bell sounds and Mr. Goodell walks to the podium and utters those words that all fans wait to hear. "With the first pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders pick ...." You fill in the blank.

No matter what happens, each team will have doubters saying they should have picked so and so, why did they pick this guy when they really needed this guy, etc. I just like seeing how happy the guys are being picked. Last year when Vernon Davis was picked up by the 49'ers and he was crying because he was so happy, loved it. I was just thrilled to see someone that considered it such an honor to be playing a sport for a living, unlike some folks that didn't get the deal they really wanted (Eli, not that I'm pointing fingers or anything. Is New York so much better than San Diego?). Every team is looking for a savior, to each of the 32 teams, good luck.

Getting the caffine ready at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

WTF?

As if you didn't know by now, the tragedy at Virginia Tech now has a name and a face to hold responsible. And of course it's a fellow South Korean. I guess I can use this to my advantage at work when people stress me out. "Don't mess with me, or I'll just go off the deep end and start shooting people." Just kidding.

On a serious note, why do these people have to kill other people and then kill themselves. Why don't they skip that middle step and just off themselves first? Well according to some psychologists it's because they want to make a mark in the world. One of those, "If I won't amount to something in life, they will certainly remember me in death." Of course, there's also the argument that there are just a long list of grievances, or insults to the person and they finally can't take anymore. That's what they said about those kids in Columbine.

I personally think that the media's 24/7 coverage of these tragedies helps perpetuate other instances. They said after Columbine, there were many more copycat plans discovered though, thankfully, not carried out. They even said that the story last September of a young Asian man shooting people at a Montreal college may have been an inspiration for the troubled young man that committed those heinous killings yesterday. Either way, you can't turn on the news or open a paper, or magazine and not see stories of violent crime, complete with sound and pictures. Maybe if it wasn't glorified by the news outlets, people wouldn't get it into their heads that it's a good idea to do these things, that they will be forever immortalized in magazines, books, movies, etc. It has to stop.

Praying for the victims and families at VT at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Spring Break

Season is almost over here in the land of sun and aloe vera. Thank God. When we start to see the high school and college kids arrive en masse, it signals the old folks to head back north for the summer. Good times. For now you can observe at almost any location in the great state of oranges kids glowing with the healthy look of sunburn, marked here and there by the glaringly white swimsuit marks and/or sunglass rings. Guess no one thinks to put on SPF. Why protect from skin cancer now, when you can have the joys of a first or even second degree burn to show all your friends in the frozen tundra up north?

Unfortunately, the end of that season means the beginning of one of another kind. Yep, hurricane season. It's been predicted to be a "very active" season this year. Great. We all know how much I enjoy that time of year. In case you haven't heard, hurricanes suck in general, and when they hit your area, suck specifically. Like gas wasn't already high enough. Anyone else notice how gas prices went up like 30 cents in two weeks, and it's not even summer yet. Am I the only moron that sees some sort of correlation between Exxon reporting record profits, into the billions people, and us having to pay more for gas? Guess that's why I'm not making the billions.

Working on my loan application for a tank of gas at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Well, if you're not into NCAA basketball (and I am not) you may not have heard that the University of Florida beat THE Ohio State University in the NCAA Finals last night. Normally, being a Michigander, and thus sworn to hate everything Buckeye, I would have been happy about this. However, I now live in Gator country south, full of UF Fans. If you've never experienced the joy of Gator fans and their obnoxious Gator chomp (you know that nifty move they do with their arms going up and down like an alligator mouth, witty I know) it's almost as bad as suffering through a football game watching the leprechan of Notre Dame. Yep, it's that bad. Thus, watching and hearing UF fans gloat over winning something as big as this is worse than hearing everyone from the state of Ohio refer to the state college there as THE Ohio State University which is pretty annoying unto itself. (What's up with the emphasis on THE anyway? Is there another Ohio State University? Do you really need to differentiate between this Ohio State University which is actually located in Nebraska and THE Ohio State University in Columbus?)

So I didn't stay up until midnight to watch UF beat OSU to a pulp, but I was secretly hoping that UF would lose. Take a little wind out of their sails. Hearing they won this morning brought forth this reaction: aw crap. It's not enough to listen to all those UF folk talk about how great they are winning the national championship in football, now I have to listen to them rant about how great they are in basketball too, not once but twice making it doubly crappy. Now we have to listen everyone in the state of Florida extol the virtues of Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer. Yuck.

waiting for football season at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

Diamonds are not a girl's best friend

So I watched "Blood Diamond" the other day. Gotta love Djimon Hounsou. He's always cool. And I have to say that Leo wasn't too bad. I think my opinion up to this point was colored by his crappy Titanic performance. I shudder just thinking of it.

Anyhoo, this movie was actually quite sad considering this kind of thing happens all the time, it's still happening today. While the US is one of the countries buying the most diamonds, very few people think about where they come from when they schlep that big, honkin' rock onto their finger. (Not me, as I am poor.) Even if the diamond doesn't come from a conflict area (and, honestly, how can we tell if it does?), the areas of the world where they are mined are generally very poor. The people that mine the thousands of carats of diamonds are living in poverty, just so Buffy can have her four-carat engagement ring. Yikes. These kinds of stories are almost never written about, and if they are, they fall far below the country's mania to find out how Anna Nicole died, and if Britney made it out of rehab. Sad but true.

Party Time!

I have to take my youngest daughter to a birthday party this weekend. I normally don't mind doing these, but this party is at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday. A Sunday! That's my day for sleeping in and generally being lazy all day. I think this is one of those tit-for-tat things. You know, I go to your kid's party now you have to go to my kid's party. That's how the real friendships are born, forced occupation at a 5-year-old's party.

Not only that, but now I have the dreaded task of trying to find a gift for a 5-year-old that I don't know. I don't know anything about this child, her likes or dislikes. Unfortunately that means she's getting the girl-toy of the moment. Also known as whatever's popular and on sale. It's better than cash.

Setting the decorations on fire at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com

It's Me Again

I'm sure everyone has been on pins and needles waiting for my return. Oh wait, no one reads this blog. Well, for the other voices in my head, it's been awhile since I last wrote. What amazing, dynamic, and thrilling events have kept me away you ask? Well, there was this whole debacle. Good times.

Then there's the family. I know that everyone has at least one crazy person in their family. My family seems to have an overabundance of them. All craving drama and all demanding attention. It makes for interesting birthday and holiday get togethers. I'm going to start wearing a striped referee shirt. It'll save time.

Then there's work. While I like being in demand, it makes for good job security, I don't really dig people arguing over where I should be and who I should be helping and who I shouldn't. For awhile there it was nice to be good and busy. Makes the days go by faster. But if it's so crazy I'm ready to tear my hair out, I have to draw the line. I lose enough hair on a daily basis without helping it along. I'm waiting to find a bald spot one morning. Trust me, it's going to happen. You should see my bathroom floor.

Back to the first item. So I recovered from my car buying experience pretty well. I am now the proud owner of a bus-sized SUV. Okay, maybe not that big. I didn't super-size it after all, but it is considerably bigger than the ol' green monster (aka, kid-toting minivan). So now I pilot the Family Truckster, happy in the knowledge that I will have to live on Top Ramen and PB&J for the next five years to pay for my newly acquired financial burden.

Having never owned a brand-new vehicle before, I was slightly traumatized when the odometer went over 100 miles. That only took like 3 days. Yep. I'm inching closer to that 1000 mile mark, and then it's all downhill from there.

Love that new car smell at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

More Car Buying Fun

So I just spent 4, count 'em 4, hours of my weekend at the car dealership. Woohoo, can't think of a better way to spend my weekend. Okay, yeah I can. All so I could get told by the sales maggots that while I have stellar credit, they can't offer me anything but their financing interest rate of 500%. Yeah, good times. Good times. I came home to find, within ten minutes of being home, a better interest rate from one of my banks. So much for not being able to get better than what they offered.

Sign here and initial here at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

I (heart) you!

Happy V-day to everyone. If you are in a relationship or are starting a relationship, then best of luck to you. This holiday was made for you, and your wallet. If you are not in a relationship, or just ended one, then sorry. I'm sure your tired of all the hearts, candy and flowers. I can sympathize. I happened to like the hate V-day cards. Very funny. Probably not for the recipients but funny nonetheless.

I am currently waiting for my Valentine's Day present (yes it's almost 8 p.m.). My thoughtful spouse planned ahead and ordered my present back in January. People who ordered flowers this morning already received their stuff and yet, here I wait. It figures, I just have this kind of luck. I think I know what it is (something of the floral variety I'm sure), and the only thing better is if it shows up at midnight, wilted and rotten. That would just complete the day. Well, it's the thought that matters, right?

Wishing for something sparkly at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Jack Attack!

Okay, I watch "24" and have watched it for the past two seasons. It's cheesiness is just so over the top that you have to laugh. If you were Jack Bauer and you were caught up with saving the world not once, not twice, not three times but six or seven times, wouldn't you leave the country and not tell anyone where you were ever? How many times does he have to save the country before the big-wigs in Washington believe his hunches? If I were Jack and told him that I thought so-and-so was not a terrorist and was actually trying to promote peace in the middle east and the White House told me that I couldn't possibly know what I was talking about, you know what I would do? I'd throw both fingers in the air and tell 'em to stop calling me to save the world. But that's just me.

Learning to disarm a nuclear bomb with a paper clip at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Homage to the auto industry

I find myself headed down the road of automobile purchasing hell. I'm sure everyone has at some point in their adult life travelled this road. I personally am not a huge fan of yucking it up with Bob the sales maggot in order to not sign my life away for a reliable set of wheels. Yet here I am giving out my personal information to some stranger that I know will begin to harrass me (probably in a very friendly way) when I don't spend a bazillion dollars on some piece of crap vehicle. Am I wrong here? Shouldn't I be concerned about this? While I would hope that I would be treated fairly whether I am a woman or a man buying a car, I know this will not be the case. Thankfully, I have garnered some knowledge on the vehicle I would like to purchase so I won't be stuck there with Bob (or any other sales maggot that fits the description) telling me the benefits of all the vanity mirrors in the car. Why can't they treat a woman like they would a man buying the car? Why are they discussing horsepower and torque with the guys and telling the women about the bouncy seats and hair clearance? Also, why is it that they can mark up to $10,000.00 off a car during a sales clearance (THEY ALL MUST GO!!!) and not just give you that price up front? A little honesty would go a long way. I would love to hear a salesperson say, well it ain't pretty but it will get you from here to there for a long time as opposed to it's a beauty isn't it, all the bells and whistles and then it falls apart just as you leave the lot.

Kicking the tires and smelling for lemons at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Long time no see!

It's been a long time since I posted. First there was the debacle, followed by the neverending weeks-leading-to-the-Super-Bowl hype. Then I had to move projects at work which was a bit of a headache, but I count myself lucky that I'm still gainfully employed (always a plus in my book).

So what has happened in this last month-ish. Well there was Peyton finally dumping the choke! moniker. I was quite happy. Maybe it was because they beat a Bears team that was playing dirty according to what Reggie said happened during the NFC Championship game. Or maybe because he's Archie's son so Archie could win a Super Bowl vicariously through him. Either way, good stuff.

Then there was this quack! Complete with a stellar mugshot. I'm sure her kids are so proud. She went from being a role model for girls everywhere (she was a female astronaut for God's Sake!) to the joke of NASA. The diaper thing alone will keep it on your mind for years to come.

February is here and with it comes the rush for the V-day gifts. Let the games begin! First you must think of what to get your loved one(s). (Let's hope for your sake the one(s) refers to your wife and mother, or wife and kids. If not, pity for you.) Will it be one of the big 3 (which are perfectly fine in my book)? Flowers, Chocolate, Jewelry. All great by themselves, even better in combination.

For those of you not in the mood, or just became available for V-day, maybe not by your choice, here's something to give you a giggle (it did me). I especially liked the "Valentines Day - depressing geeks since 496 A.D." How great is that?

Cupid shoots, he scores! at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.

Deuce's Wild!

My boys are headed to the NFC Championship Game!!!!!

It was a beautiful thing to see good ol' Deuce McAllister running and pushing the pile to score a touchdown. I love him! He's such a great guy. He quietly leads the team, works hard, doesn't demand attention and certainly doesn't cry that everyone is hyping Reggie instead of him. Some people should take a lesson from Deuce's book, i.e. T.O., Jeremy Shockey, etc. When the press talks to him, Deuce makes sure he tells them that New Orleans is not out of the woods yet. They still need help. I certainly won't forget.

So the Saints are headed to the NFC Championship game for the first time in team history. I forsee many bandwagon jumpers riding the Saints bandwagon. Keep in mind these folks weren't around for the many losing seasons leading up to this year. Where were these folks last year when they were losing moving from San Antonio to Baton Rouge and wondering if the franchise was moving out of Louisiana? They were hating on the guys. Even this weekend there were plenty of people saying the Philadelphia was going to beat them because the Saints weren't a good team that could play well in the playoffs. I'll say it again... Who dat?

They're going to the show at life.sa.laugh@hotmail.com.