after yet another severe weather update, i decided to stay in for a while longer and indulge in a bit of pop culture – trashy mags courtesy of my daughter, a blitz of mad men season 6, and music from the 80s.
but, now i see that i should have gone out on my snowmobile for a trip downtown to see the movies on the big screen
image credit: jbrindleyadams
Life is more than sunglasses and hit movies. Reality – that’s the main event. – Sylvester Stallone
Advisory from the Office of the County Sheriff: Avoid MI Ave/US12, Tecumseh to Saline. 3-4′ snow drifts across road, it is impassable. No further information is available at this time.
here is the first book that i taught myself to read. and i shall read it again in its entirety today.
there was talk of ‘thunder-snow’
When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels. – Unknown quotes
walked downtown through the snow to meet my friend for brunch on this beautiful, snowy day. i knew it was time to go out, before i went a bit stir crazy like jack’s character in ‘the shining,’ after i posted this note to myself on the inside of my front door. apparently, i was craving one last rasher of bacon, before being snowbound for the next day or so, with nary a slice in the house.
Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. – Doug Larson
* Winter storm watch: Up to another foot of snow now in forecast by Sunday night
* Ann Arbor area braces for major winter storm with dangerous cold to follow
and – moving ahead through the week
looks like it’s time to fire up another batch of my chernobyl blend coffee
I think Michigan keeps you sane and on an even keel through the ups and downs. In Michigan, I do fireworks, shovel snow and live life.
baby b – “ we’re going on “bacation” in our car, we’re going to the beach!”
baby j – “I’m a mermaid!”
baby b – “you can’t be a mermaid we’re in the car!”
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If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution – Emma Goldman
with the first blizzard of 2014 still ongoing, and crazy outdoor games behind me, 12-18 inches of snow on the ground, and temps with a high of 2f, it is a day to sink down into the cottage, away from the outside world, the cold, the snow, the people, the noise, the light.
today is all about books and music and movies and cup of my chernoblyl blend coffee and time spent creating art and writing and napping and a warm bath, and soft pajamas and softer blankets – calm, warm, peaceful, quiet, cozy, comfort. and i will embrace every slow minute of it.
Be he a king or a peasant, he is happiest who finds peace at home. –Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
it was bitterly cold, with snow and wind and ice all around. the perfect setting for the detroit red wing alumni game against the toronto maple leaf alumni, long time rivals, and two of the original six teams of hockey. the fans came out in droves, from both sides of the border and there were hockey sweaters and hats and blankets of both blue and red, as they played in comerica park, home of the detroit tigers. it was hockey, as it was meant to be played – outdoors, and in the elements.
the day was a fitting tribute to these men who spent much of their lives on the ice, playing a game that is incredibly hard on the body as well as the mind, and yet, they all came back for one more day, for a chance to experience what it felt like again, and for the fans, myself included, to have one more chance to remember what they did with such passion.
they all returned, a bit older, a bit slower, a bit shakier, perhaps, but with the spirit that brought them to the ice in the first place. some didn’t wear helmets, some didn’t wear teeth, one goalie wore an old-school face mask, but they came to play as a team, just one more time.
so much history, so many stories, good, bad, and somewhere in the gray area in between, all here together again, they all came, for one day, the wings, so loved in this hockey town – all here:
the legends of the game – gordie howe and ted lindsay, tossed out the puck
the beloved former captain, steve yzerman, who hadn’t been on the ice in 7 years, since his retirement
sergi federov, who left the team for his own reasons, forgiven and welcomed back for a reunion with the russian 5, including konstantinov, so horribly injured during a stanley cup celebration
lidstrom , one of the greatest defensemen of all time, who took on the captain’s role when he retired, hard shoes to fill, now also retired
red berenson, mickey redmond – on the ice in their 70s, now having moved on to coaching and commentating, yet never having lost their love of being on the ice
scotty bowman – their legendary coach, came back to coach his stanley cup winners one more time
jiri fisher – who tearfully had to retire early, due to a heart problem, the only man in this 30s on the ice
joey kocur – wearing the jersey in memory of his hard-living teammate, bob probert
the enforcers, the scorers, the grind line, the goalies – lapointe, chelios, mccarty, ciccarelli,, draper, osgood and on and on
they came older, and broken, and most somewhat the worse for wear, but for a moment, they lived their glory days on ice once again. and they’ve learned the the meaning of life off the ice since then. and they won both games, but that was the least of it.
Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul. – Douglas MacArthur
image credits: m-live
one of my favorite christmas eve memories, was when my aunt, a catholic nun, mother superior of her order, came to town for the holidays. she came over early, to chat and hang out at my place. the rest of the family was running late, so for some reason, my daughters and i decided to keep her busy by playing a holiday game of ‘quarter bounce.’ open-minded, liberal nun that she is, she asked the rules and played right along with us. she actually did quite well, and we secretly wondered if she might have played once or twice before.
later, when the whole family arrived, we decided to play ‘would you rather?.’ imagine our joy and endless laughter, (including hers), when the card she drew asked, ‘would you rather – a) have no breasts but saucer-sized nipples -or- b) huge breasts and no nipples? could there have been anyone better in the family to have drawn that card?! sometimes the universe just lines up perfectly and offers you an unexpected and joyous gift. she chose the huge breasts option, by the way.
Life must be lived as play. – Plato
baby b performs a live version of ‘jingle bells’ on her new stand-up mike, only to encounter a lot of action/distraction in the audience and soon realizes that her agent has booked her into a ‘garden level’ holiday party room and she is playing to a tough crowd.
while singing, she is competing for attention with: a big screen tv airing a holiday film, baby j grabbing the mike and trying to eat it when she is stops to adjust her sound system (she is also her own roadie), cousin baby v, stepping in and clapping in the middle of her song, checking to see if she can have a go at the mike, a neighbor baby audience member tipping over and toddling by into the circus tent behind her, baby r jumping around near the couch on the lounge level, as her discounted obstructed view ticket has placed her behind a pole and a massive gift box, and most everyone else who has had a glass or two of a delicious holiday beverage. baby b however, takes it all in, is unfazed, and continues on with the show.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5NWLzPG0hfgR3k4S2J6a2RhSGs/edit
“Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.” Brian Tracy
There’s real drama in performing live. You never know how it’s going to be. – Kevin Costner
I didn't have my glasses on.... 