Weekend Update #6 Mental Health, Hockey, and Oscar

Howdy boys and girls!! It's time for another weekend update, hosted by the girl voted "Most likely to Run Over Her Cat with a Skateboard".

(really, it's true, I did...and I have the scars to prove it)



(I didn't do it on purpose, if that's what you're thinking.)



But that's neither her nor there. Focus people, Focus!!!!

My weekend started off a little earlier than usual. It actually started right about the time I called in to work and told them I wouldn't be in due to a family emergency. OK, OK.....it was actually a much needed mental health day. It's not something I do often, Karma doesn't allow it. If I call in sick, I actually get sick. But, let me tell you, there was going to be a family emergency if I went to work. I've not been in the best place (mentally) for a week or so now. I decided that I needed a reboot.

I slept in, zoned out in front of the TV, did some grocery shopping, then came home to do some more zoning. It sounds like I just wanted a lazy day, but let me just say the day (heck, the whole week) had been sprinkled with small bouts of crying and depression. I self-prescribed myself a day off.

I'm over it now. So...moving on.

We split hockey season tickets with my parents, they go Fridays and we go Saturdays. Our quartet coaching was cancelled this week, so I was home on my own. Mom had agreed to take Lauren to the game, so I didn't tell her I was home. She would have offered to buy my ticket....and my reboot day included not talking to family members either.

Remember how I mentioned Karma, and how much of a bitch she can be? Well, mom tripped leaving the hockey game on Friday night. (Karma's the bitch, not my mom...let me make that perfectly clear!!!) She buggered herself up pretty good. And remember how I didn't go to work due to a family emergency? Well.....you see....this is why I can't lie.

(mental note, never not go to work for a fake funeral)

The games this week were against Notre Dame. They are ranked #1 in the conference, and it was supposed to be a blowout. I watched it on TV. It wasn't a blow out. It was 3 to 3, game went into overtime. ND ended up winning, but we didn't let them get off with an easy win. I'm sure that's' what they flew to Nebraska expecting.

Saturday morning I had to get up at the same time I do normally during the week. (the horror!!!) Mot and I were signed up for the PDA Workshop at our Verizon store. My Storm has a mind of it's own...and it successfully confounded the Blackberry guru. So now I don't feel so bad!!! :-)

On the way home from the workshop, Mot pulled off to put gas in the Jeep. It was then I realized he needed new sunglasses. He was currently wearing his shooting glasses, and anyone who has ever worn them, knows they are not a fashion statement to be made outside of the range. A couple of weeks ago, we found a pair of sunglasses that looked really nice on him at the bike shop where our future bikes are being stored. (OK, OK, so we hadn't bought them yet, but I could still pretend like they were holding onto them for us. A girl's gotta dream, right?)

So, off to the bike shop we headed. Before looking at the sunglasses, we wandered over to say HI to our future new bikes. Make sure they were being treated OK and all. Not only did they have the bike I was looking for (2009 Gary Fisher Utopia), they also had the same model in a 2008. Brand new. For quite a bit less.

Hmmmmm...what's the difference?

Turns out, nothing. Color, that's it. Due to gas prices going up and up, they (Gary Fisher) had to raise the prices of their 2009 models.

We left with the bike.

OK, that's not totally true. I left with a pair of cycling shoes for riding the bike.

We put a daily limit on our debit card, so anyone who steals it can only get so much before we have time to stop it. Yeah, our bank closed about 1 hour earlier....so when we called them to override the limit, they didn't answer. Argh!! We put money down on the bike, and will go back on Monday and pay for the rest. It's too cold to ride it right now anyway. So, technically, they actually ARE just holding onto my bike for me now. :-) :-)

We came straight home after the bike shop....had a mild argument as many married couples will do. (Especially when the wife of said marriage has been having a rough couple of weeks, and is now being beat by a piece of electronic equipment - my phone.) By the end of the evening Mot, my knight in shining armor, figured out the phone issues...and all was well.

As I write this, I can say that I'm a very happy and pleased Blackberry Storm owner. The thing is actually pretty damned sweet (Now that we've come to an agreement. It will work, or I will throw it out the window, and run over it with my car - seems to be working so far)!!!!

Anyway.....

We made a quick dinner then headed to the hockey game. The games are normally played at the Qwest convention center and arena downtown....but this week were being hosted at the old arena. (They do it once a season, and I can't tell you why. Probably hosting a car show or something at the new arena, who knows!) Anyway....it's a MUCH smaller venue....so the 7,991 people that showed up almost maxed the place out. We were like sardines. Good thing most of us hockey fans get along.

Most.....

We were seated in front of this dude that only came to talk to the people around him. He had to impress everyone by how many people there he knew, by yelling out the names of everyone he saw. He also decided we needed to know how many engines he blew up while in high school (4 total, 3 in one car. In case you wanted to know.)

Sigh...why do we always get seated next to these people??

The game was another good game. The score was 0 to 0 until the end of the third period. They scored a goal...we scored a goal to tie it up. Yeah!!!

No, not yeah.

The evil men in black and white took the goal away. We still don't know why. The crowd was pissed...yelling, and actually throwing beer bottles and such on the ice. God, I love hockey!!!!!

The game ended, 1 to 0, we lost again. But, it was the second night in a row that we made them work for it. So take that!!! :-)

As we were exiting our seats, the announcer let everyone know the team was going to be doing an autograph session on the ice. Hmmmmm......I have this Jersey that needs signed. And it wouldn't be bad seeing #11, the quick little shit, up close.

Let me just say....he's the strong, silent type. Was the last one of the team to make it out on the ice, and was the quietest player as the people came by for autographs.



I decided to try out the camera on my phone. 3.2 mega pixel, how good could it really do? You know what, I don't think it did that bad with this pic.

Since mom wasn't there, I got a picture with every one's signatures on it for her. Hope she likes it. :-) If I'd known they were going to do the session ahead of time, I would have bought a t shirt for him to sign for her.

I scanned the pic, and tried to post it here.....unfortunately, Blogger keeps giving me an error (Bad Request, Error 400). Curses, foiled again! It's a cool picture, I promise.

Oh well.....

Sunday morning I again had to get up at the same time I do during the week. What are weekends again, I forget?? :-)

The gym my sister works at was hosting a pre-triathlon swim meet, of sorts. They are hosting a pretty large triathlon in March, and wanted to get everyone geared up for it. I had told them I would help out. And will help them out with the real deal in March...if we're not gone on vacation. Should be fun.

Mel and I are signed up to work the HyVee triathlon in Des Moines. We're on the kayak safety team. I figure, since I'm terrified of deep water, and unable to compete in contests involving swimming...I may as well help out!

(Being terrified of deep water usually isn't a prerequisite of kayaking...I know, I know.)

The meet was fun. A bit unorganized, but that made it all the more fun. Watching them try and work the bugs out, it's always fun to see. Plus, the people swimming were all really nice, and were having fun themselves. Everyone was supportive of each other, cheering everyone on.

One of the women was only competing because she was doing laps in the pool...and they were going to kick her out for the races. She said, where do I sign up? You've gotta love it. She had no idea what she was doing, but thought "Hey, why not!?" I completely and TOTALLY love that attitude!

On the way out the door, I picked up a Mocha Madness (with peanut butter added) Smoothie from the gym Cafe and came home.

My buddy, Lorrie, hosts an Oscar party every year. Her mom, her mom's friends and Lorrie used to go out once a month for a ladies night out. A number of years ago, Lorrie invited me to come along, so she wasn't the youngest one there. :-) It was also about this time, she started hosting Oscar parties.

She now has two young children, and is in desperate need of a non children related activity, so the party is being hosted at one of her Mom's friends' house. I'm supposed to bring the nacho cheese dip. Easy peasy!

For the rest of the afternoon I watched DVR'd episodes of House, cooked the cheese dip, checked email, did some dishes, ate some Fat Free Pringles, tried to decide what "Bling" I have in my house that I could wear to the Oscar party. Yep, that's one of the things on the invite, "Prizes for the Best Bling".

What do you think of these glasses????




They are at least the start of bling. There is one lady that shows up in an different prom dress she finds at Goodwill, and all the bling you can imagine. There's no way I can compete, but I'm not going to show at the door with nothing. No way!!! :-)

I ended up wearing one of my tuxedo shirts, black dress jacket and black bow tie. I accessorized it with big silver and diamond (fake of course) earrings, bulky silver bracelets and the mardi gras beads (red, silver and black) they threw at the hockey game on Saturday night.

It wasn't really the "bling" that she was was thinking of when she put it on the invites....but it was fun. And it really made me realize I'm seriously lacking in the bad costume jewelry department. I need to remedy this immediately!!!!

Robin, Lorrie, Lorrie's mom, Betty (whose house we were at) and I all lasted to the end of the awards. We ate a ton of really bad food, and savored every moment of it. Back to reality tomorrow!!!!!