I'm back and ready for fall?!

Hello, my Zodiac Zoo Crew! I have missed you all so much! The reason for the title is that this hasn't been the most wonderful summer for me, which is the reason for my absence. I won't sadden you with the details for now (I'll save that for a day when I'm not so chipper), but let's just say that two funerals in a summer is NOT something I want to repeat EVER again.

On a happier note (I hope), what have you all been up to? I just spent a great Labor Day weekend at the lake with some friends, and this was our horrible view.

It was absolutely perfect weather, including the rain the first night we got there to cool it off before we hit the water. Pretty much all of the guys around here were in the woods since it was the start of hunting season, so us ladies hit the lake. We had a great time cooking ourselves on the water by day, and playing games and drinking the evenings away. What a great way to spend the weekend, no?

I was so tickled to be invited since I only knew two of the ladies, but I hope to be included in more of these outings in the future. I really had a great time and felt like I could be myself around every one of the ladies who showed up. They actually tried to hold me to a comment I made about letting them have the approval of any pictures I posted on Facebook. Ha! First of all, you cannot limit me to things that were said while spending the evening enjoying the company of my good friend, The Captain. (Yes, that would be Captain Morgan.) And secondly... Well, I guess the "first of all" thing said it all, right?

Unfortunately, in the end I caved because honestly, I want to be invited back. I didn't technically let them approve photos, but I made sure only the best photos of them were posted. See, I'm smart enough to stay behind the camera so I don't usually have to worry about what is going to get posted of me. My momma didn't raise no fool. :-)

As for being ready for the fall... I am ready for it to cool off, which it is doing very nicely recently. We had a long hot summer, and I know I'll be whining about the cold before too long, but still. It's nice to be able to breathe again.

Also, fall means football! Although my Steelers did not show up on Sunday against the goon squad that is Baltimore, I did get to enjoy one afternoon at training camp this year. I got some awesome photos, and I'm sure I'll share more with you later. This was one of my favorites though.

LaMarr Woodley (our 61 million dollar man) and Larry Foote

I'm just extremely glad there IS football this year. It was touch and go there for a while, and I was afraid the douche bag Goodell was not going to get it done. I think the players association screwed up in some of the things they gave up, but at least we have football!

So for now, let me leave you.. I have a ton of things to get done, but I did not want to put off posting to my loyal followers for another moment. I have neglected your blogs and mine for too long, but I'll be swinging by soon.

Open season... on fans?

I know many people have been excited about the opening of baseball season. (For those who don't care about baseball, this is not a baseball post.) Since I'm a Pirates' fan, then I have to show my excitement this time of the season, and pretty much ONLY this time of the season. Why is that, you ask? Because my Pirates have sucked for so long that it's pathetic. This time of year is pretty much the only time we have a winning record. Unfortunately, I know it won't last. Anyway....

I don't know how many of you may have heard about this, but I was so upset about it when I found out. A man named Bryan Stow went with friends to the season opener at Dodger Stadium to see the Dodgers play his favorite team, the San Francisco Giants.

Bryan is the one on the right.

While he was leaving the stadium, two guys jumped him from behind and proceeded to beat him even after he was unconscious. Apparently, Bryan and his friends had tried to ignore the guys who were heckling them but then they attacked. In case any of you are in the area, this is who they are currently looking for.

Suspects

Bryan has been in a medically induced coma since the attack. They had to remove part of his skull to relieve the pressure. His father said that as of yesterday his temperature has come down and his vitals are stabilizing.  I hope and pray he comes out of this okay.

Bryan is a 42-year-old paramedic who was brutally attacked because two psychos thought this would be fun? He is usually the one helping people, and he was walking away from this idiotic behavior.

It just makes me so mad that these crazy ass punks are free on the streets of LA while he's in a hospital bed fighting for his life. Well, actually I hope that every Dodger fan in the city and surrounding areas are searching for them so much that they are having to hide to save their own lives. The reward is up to $100,000 now if you know of any bounty hunters who could help. Aren't I helpful?

I just can't imagine going to a game and feeling like you couldn't be safe. I've often been asked, especially by family who has never seen a live game except in Pittsburgh, if I wear my Steelers gear (or other team I root for) to games when the Steelers are the visitors. HELL YES, I do! And proudly! We get heckled sometimes, but it's usually good-natured fun. And we can usually get the upper hand on that stuff pretty quickly 'cuz we are just that damn smart. Plus, our boys give us a lot to brag about. But I've never been to a professional game whether it was hockey, football or baseball and not felt safe. (I have had that happen a time or two at minor league hockey games, but that's because the team we were playing against had crazy ass fans!) I will not stop wearing my teams' colors no matter where I go.

They are saying the Mayor wants them to crack down on violence and drinking at the stadium. Why do they always bring up the drinking? I'm sorry, but I don't think that's what caused this at all. A psycho is going to be a psycho whether you funnel beer down his throat or not. Do you agree? I honestly feel bad for Dodgers fans as these suspects were wearing their team's gear and making them all look like thugs. It's not right, and I'm glad to see they are all standing up for Bryan now.

They have set up a Facebook page to keep everyone informed of fundraisers and to gain support for Bryan. That's where I got all of the pictures on this post. Feel free to go see what they have going on, whether you are near the area or not. They have things you can do to help. Most of all keep Bryan in your thoughts. He did nothing but try to go and enjoy a baseball game with friends, and his life is forever changed because of it.

On that wonderfully cheerful note... Happy Friday everyone! I'll be having a drink for Bryan when I get home this evening. Cheers!

UPDATE: By the way, folks. Since these guys haven't been caught yet, we don't even know if alcohol was involved. So that statement by the Mayor was all speculation. I'm a drinker, but I don't drink at games. Not everyone does.

My family has experienced Serendipity. Who knew?

Some of you have been participating in Studio30Plus' writing prompts, and I must say I have enjoyed the reads. Oh, and the good folks over there featured one of my blog posts in the Weekend Spotlight, so thanks for that. If you have found your way to my blog because of them, welcome! I really don't care how you got here, as long as your ass is here. Now click that follow button and no one will get hurt.

I am kind of glad they put up a new one yesterday, because I was totally at a loss as to what to write about this Monday morning. Except for the fact that I am REALLY not liking losing an hour of sleep to this whole daylight savings time crap. I am not a morning person anyway, so making Krissy get up an hour earlier is really not a good way to start the week. It will probably take me a couple of weeks to get used to this mess, so bear with me. Grouch in the house, folks! I'm going to try hard not to take it out on you all.

Back to the topic at hand.. The prompt for this week is....

Serendipity - Luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.

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The first thing that came to mind is the story I am about to bestow onto you. (Did I use that right? Screw it.. It's Monday morning so who cares???) I went with my parents on a trip to Pittsburgh a couple of years ago and when we were packing their truck up to come back, we were all taking turns hauling the stuff up the hill for my father to pack it all up. You see, my aunt's house (which used to be my grandparents' house) is on a freaking hill like you wouldn't imagine. Of course, if you've ever been to Pittsburgh and probably parts of West "By God" Virginia, you probably know what I'm talking about. I see those light bulbs going off for some of you. (Damn, that's bright for Monday!) Something like this one to the right.. only prettier...

Anyway.. You have to either park at the top or bottom of the hill, so either way you have a climb to load the vehicle. Dad, of course, is the Chief of all things packing because he has the military precision of being able to load lots of crap into a small amount of space. While we always go on trips with lots of stuff, we always come back from Pittsburgh with a ginormous amount due to the extensive Steelers and Penguins merchandise that must be purchased on every trip.

Needless to say, my suitcase and every other item was loaded down pretty much to bursting. I actually told my father who is in his 70's to let me know when he wanted to throw my suitcase into the truck, and I would do it. The man is strong as an ox and always has been, but he is getting older, ya know? Of course, he did it himself anyway. After the trip, he starts complaining that his shoulder hurts and proceeds to tell us that he thought he felt something when he loaded my suitcase into the truck. NATURALLY, it's Krissy's fault! We wouldn't have it any other way.

The shoulder doesn't get better so he goes to the doctor. There is definitely a tear in his shoulder so they do a stress test to make sure his body can handle surgery. They end up finding a blockage in his heart! Serendipity, right?! This would be a valuable thing to know, no? Ha! Krissy is not at fault anymore, but she is a freakin' genius if you all didn't know that. Well, my family still blames me, but still...

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They send Dad in for a cardiac catheterization which is a procedure they do to determine the amount of blockage. They are expecting to have to put a stint in to help him out. They end up finding that his main artery is like 80 or 90% blocked. (I forget the exact number now.) My perfectionist father is the only one whose body would find a way to pump his blood a different way since he had this blockage.

They tell him he's a perfect candidate for this new robotic procedure where they do surgery on the heart, but they are able to go through in between his ribs instead of cracking his chest open. The only problem is that there are only 5 doctors in the country who do this procedure, so we have to go to Atlanta for it. Okay, so tell us when.

They end up running all kinds of other tests on Dad while he's waiting for his surgical date. Dad tells his doctor that he's been feeling a bit dizzy lately and sometimes nauseous. Turns out the man has a freaking brain tumor! Okay, do I get a pat on the back yet?? Huh? Do I? All because of MY suitcase, the doctors found a just-about total block in my father's heart and a freaking brain tumor, people. Seren-freaking-dipity, I say!

Dad has since had both the heart surgery and brain surgery and he's doing great. He has more energy, (Wouldn't you after opening up that kind of blockage so your heart can actually pump the way it's supposed to?), they were able to lower his blood pressure medicine to very low levels, and he's feeling a hell of a lot better overall. They have even recently decided he doesn't need the shoulder surgery because he's been kicking butt in physical therapy and isn't in pain anymore.

We all like to say he has an angel looking out for him, and I'm sure it's my brother-in-law Art who passed away almost 4 years ago now. But I like to think I had a hand in it... or a suitcase, anyway.

Super Bowl Sunday!

For those who don't like football, bear with me. It's a big day, and the season is almost over. But I have to say....

It's finally here! The Super Bowl is upon us as my Pittsburgh Steelers face the Green Bay Packers in what I'm sure will be a fantastic game. This has been a horribly long week, but I'm glad the day is here. It's time for me to start making my signature dips to take to the party and get ready to go.

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At this point, it doesn't matter what any of us think of players on either team. It doesn't matter that the commissioner is a douche and has tried everything he can to get in the minds and wallets of the Steelers this season. All that matters is who walks into that stadium the most prepared mentally and physically and who can play with the heart of a champion. At least, I hope that's all that matters. Let's NOT let this game be something that comes down to a bad call, for the love of God!

I've noticed a few of the players tweeting that they are starting to get moving today. I hope they all slept well and play hard today. Here we go, Steelers. Here we go!

For those who are going to be home or at parties today to watch the big game, please be safe. Even if you aren't doing something crazy, there will be a lot of idiots who are tonight. Enjoy the game!

Also, feel free to stop by Studio30Plus today. I was featured yesterday, and Simple Dude was featured today among others. There are some great posts, so go check out the Weekend Spotlights. You might find some great new people to follow, and I hope those who pop in here decide to stick around!

Update for Steelers fans: My nephew shared this video with me on Facebook, so I thought I'd share it here.

It's Friday before the Super Bowl! Look Up...

Did you look up? Okay, if you are in your Reader, come to my site. C'mon! I said DO IT!

Okay what do you think? New layout and my official dot com address. My address without the www isn't working yet, but I'm told that will fix itself in a couple of days. So if you have my blog bookmarked, you can enter it the old way and be redirected or change it to my official new address. I feel all grown up! Be honest about the layout though. If you don't like the new headers, etc.... Speak up.

Now my Steelers are going to be in the Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm soooo glad it's finally Friday! This has been the longest damn week of my life. Okay, maybe not of my whole life, but one of the longest EVER. For other Steelers Nation members, please go to www.visitpittburgh.com to sign up. They are having a challenge to see who has more fans, the Steelers or Packers. For you Packers fan, you can find the link to yours by yourself. I will love you again on Monday. After we win. I won't even discuss an option to that. I mean, loving you or the winning part.

There has been a lot of fun stuff on Facebook this week for my boys. Like this...

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We are "Knocking on Seven's Door!" I know it's corny, but I damn sure can't call it cheesy because of who we are playing now can I? Please Dear Football Gods, help my boys win this! There are so many things running through my head, but some of them I can't say or type for worry of doing something to change the outcome.

If you didn't know, I am very superstitious! My family makes sure that certain things are done, and when we win we remember what we did to help get that win. Some people may call it stupid, but it's our way of contributing. So bite me if you don't like it. I will be wearing my Jerome Bettis "Bus Route to Canton" shirt that I wore last weekend to help the running game burn the clock with my Heath Miller jersey over it. I will also make sure I put my left shoe on first, shave only one leg, and use my hula hoop before kickoff for 30 minutes. No, I'm kidding about that part. But the attire is true.

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That's my boy, Heath Miller for those who don't know him. I prayed the Steelers would draft him years ago, and that was before I ever saw how damn gorgeous he is. Honest! He has become an unsung hero on the team, and he is greatly missed on the rare occasions that he can't play. There's a great article that was written about him in December on that source button under the picture for those who care.

We have all kinds of food planned, of course. That will include Roethlisburgers, pizza dip (my contribution), all kinds of other dips, and I'm sure Mom will get a Steelers cake again. Last time we had balloons, plates and napkins that were Steelers, too. I should have gotten the pictures off of my old laptop to show you. We go all out! No one is allowed in the house without wearing black and gold, much to the dismay of my one nephew who was present who has the misfortune of having been brainwashed by his father into being a Raiders fan. I keep telling him to get away from the cheap silver, and get with the gold.

On a side note, I submitted my Blonde moments post to Studio30Plus for their Sunday Spotlight so I hope it gets picked, although they announced today that they had so many entries this week they are doing Weekend Spotlights instead. I hope I'm on one of the two days! If you are on that site and haven't added me as a friend, then click on the button below. If you haven't joined and you are a blogger who is "over thirty and wordy" then what are you waiting for?

I hope everyone has a great weekend enjoying the Super Bowl! I know I will be glued to the set. I'm sure it will be a great game. Now repeat after me... Here we go, Steelers. Here we go!

Super Bowl Bound!

There is so much I could say tonight, but my Steelers are going to the Super Bowl in Dallas! And I know that burns Jerry Jones up!

I think there is so much that goes back to our asshole Commish like the article I wrote before about him being a douche.  After that he tried to fine my players all season long. I guess we'll see what happens in the Super Bowl in Dallas' new crazy stadium. :) Anyone who has a legit reason to argue about Ben never being charged with anything is welcome to speak up!

I'm Irresistible! .. Wait, is she laughing at me?

Lyndylou over at The Giggle Fest gave me an award this week which totally brought my New Year in with a bang! Since she likes to giggle, I'm thinking she was being ironic by giving me this award?

But I guess I just make her laugh with my mom stories, and she loved my Then and Now post last week. Isn't the award yummy?! I forgive her for giving me sweets since she didn't know I was trying to be healthy before she gave me this award, but hey, it has strawberries. So it can't be too bad for me, right? RIGHT? I thought so, and I'm sure Dr. Oz would agree. I'll have that dessert with my wine and it will be even healthier. Thank you so much, lyndylou! I love it.

So I guess there are a couple of rules to this award. I have to tell you of 5 guilty pleasures and pass it on to 3 bloggers. Now you know with my new healthy living thing, this is going to make me think of things I really shouldn't have, but it's not all about food! I'm sure there are other guilty pleasures I have. I just have to think of them. Surely they'll come to me... Right?.. Here goes...

Guilty Pleasures
1. The sweetest sound in the world is a baby's laugh. As most of you know, I'm single with no children of my own (except the furry kind) so I live through all of my nieces and nephews. Hearing any one of the babies laugh just brings a joy to me that I can never explain. I can even be in a grocery store or something and hear a baby laugh, and no matter what kind of mood I'm in it will make me smile.

2. Watching sports is another love of mine. Watching my Steelers or Penguins (especially those two, though I have other loves) win a Championship is one of the greatest feelings in my life. Luckily, they've given me a lot to celebrate in my lifetime. Now if I can just get the Pirates to sell to Mark Cuban, maybe we can get them to win again!

3. Puppy breath! What is it about puppy breath? I just want to eat them up and hug them to pieces. I am seriously thinking about getting another puppy since the cat thing didn't work out with Bailey. I'm still trying to decide.

4. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! You knew I had to throw a food in there, and chocolate is the bestest food ever! I usually limit myself to chocolate ice cream being in the house when I have a craving, but I could pretty much hurt myself on anything that involves chocolate.

Okay, this lady has to be on crack!

5. Reading has to be in my top 5. Curling up on the couch in cozy pajamas, under a blanket, on a rainy day is one of the best ways to spend time. With my Kindle now, it's even nicer because I don't even have to have a free hand to hold the book or turn pages. All I have to have is a free finger to hit the button. Heaven!

 Image from here.

So now who do I pass this gem off to? 

1. Barb over at This and That (As I Bounce Thru' Life) because she is such a sweet person and always has a kind word to say in comments to people. She is also a fellow South Carolinian (well, she lives here anyway) which is what first caught my attention about her. I love her so go check her out! I'm sure she's probably gotten this award before, but she came to mind first.

2. The Tame One over at Thoughts of an Oxymoron because she makes me laugh and I can't resist her blog. The things she says on her blog and in comments makes me feel like I've found a kindred spirit. I hope that doesn't scare the bejeezus out of her. She will make you laugh even if you aren't as crazy as we are.

3. Jimmy over at Jimmy's Opinion because he is such a family man and always has encouraging words to say to everyone. He'll warm your heart and always makes you feel like there's someone out there who cares about what you have to say.

Okay, enough mushiness. I love the award, lyndylou! Those guilty pleasures used up all of my brain power for the day. I wonder if that burned calories? I lost 3 pounds, by the way. Yay, me! Not bad in two days...   

NFL commissioner is a douche!

For my followers who are not NFL fans, please feel free to skip this one. If you are a fan of a team I may slam during this post, I am not intentionally lashing out at you. Well, I'm sure I mean what I say in regards to your team, but you get the picture. Anyway, I simply must vent about this idiot who calls himself the NFL commissioner.

"I am an idiot. Maybe I should suspend myself since I can't seem to be consistent with anyone else."



Am I the only one who has noticed that he seems to really hate the Pittsburgh Steelers? Where the hell did this "jagoff" (as they would say in the 'Burgh) come from that he seems to just have it out for my boys? I've read his bio, and I don't really see anything that stands out. So what the hell is his problem? Oh, that's right! Look who was appointed his "special advisor" last year.

"Hey, Coach Madden! Glad you came with the Commish. I mean, you have no bias at all against my team, and you're over that whole Immaculate Reception thing right?"

Let's recap some things he's done. First he suspends Ben Roethlisberger who was never arrested for anything! Let me repeat, he was NEVER CHARGED WITH ANYTHING! Now I know he was guilty of bad judgement, but I honestly think the second accusation only came about because of the first one. And the first accusation didn't come until a year and another Super Bowl win later! Hmmmm, gold digger much? There was never enough evidence in either case to charge him with anything criminal. As much as Ben loved his mom and still loves his step-mom and sister, I just don't see him as the type to prey on women. If he really had a problem with that, don't you think he would have attacked someone in Pittsburgh by now? Funny how the accusations only happen when he is out of the state.

So Goodell thinks Ben needs to be made an example of. Let's suspend the 2-time winning Super Bowl QB for SIX games. What the...?? Yes, initially it was six games, but it got reduced to four because Ben agreed to jump through hoops for Goodell and get counseling.

"We screwed those damn Steelers good this time, didn't we, John? What can we do next?"

Tell me you are going to possibly change the course of an NFL team's season just on the word of some girls the commissioner didn't even speak to and when no charges were brought. In that case, let me run to New England and accuse Tom Brady of raping me. Do you think we would be in this boat if it had been him? Nope! Because the Patriots can be on 'roids, cheat, and violate any number of NFL policies and they never get SHIT done to them.

As most people know, Goodell has been all over James Harrison this season about hits and fining him left and right. It got so bad that at one point Harrison contemplated retirement, and Troy Polamalu even spoke up to say Goodell was abusing his power. It takes a lot for Troy to speak out about anything. The NFL uses highlight reels that show big hits, but Harrison is supposed to take it easy or risk suspensions next time. Do whatnow?

Flash forward to this week when Richard Seymour (former Patriot and current Raider) punches Ben and knocks him on his ass after the whistle has blown and we have scored a touchdown. Personally, I wish one of our linemen who had been standing there had laid him out. But okay... The ref takes care of it and Seymour is thrown out of the game. Surely Goodell can't ignore this one right? Wrong! Let's give him a $25,000 fine and no suspension. Great! Sounds like a plan. What the...?? Are you kidding me with this?

Seriously, whatever you feel about Ben, don't you think there would have been a suspension if it had been Brady or Peyton? Or what if Harrison had done the same thing? This is getting more than ridiculous. I even saw a Raider fan say that Harrison's roughing the passer penalty that negated a defensive touchdown was stupid because it wasn't a malicious hit, and that Seymour deserved more than he got. When will we be able to stop the madness here, folks? I think he would get off of my team's ass if he only had to face this.

It's Friday... Glad Facebook is back!

So for once I wasn't caught up in an issue with Facebook being down. What the hell? I actually wasn't on it yesterday because I had some other issues which I won't bore you with. They have a movie coming out (or it is out... who knows when you don't have a theater in the town you live in), and they help promotions of it by screwing up? Typical! I'm glad it's back up today, and it better be okay tonight. How most of my friends survived without it yesterday is beyond me. The horror!

So how do you like my new look? I HAD to use that bull when I found it. I guess I need to harrass someone about how to design this thing better. If you haven't ever seen her blog before, you should check out Kristine at Wait in the Van. She is hilarious! She has an "ask the van" section that I guess I'm going to have to raid for help with this sucker. If you all know of some other humorous type blogs, let me know about them.

I have been reading blogs more lately than I've been writing in this one because I've been getting ideas and seeing what people are following. Of course, mostly it's all about me, so come to terms with that and you'll be fine. If not, just suffer in silence please.

Football season is here so prepare to hear me vent and/or brag on my teams on occasion. I am a huge Steelers fan, and in college it's pretty much Penn State and THE USC. Let's be clear from the start that anytime I mention USC, it is the first USC. The one that has been in this country the longest and is not named after a condom. The real USC would be the University of South Carolina, no matter what those crazy people in Cali think. Just so you know... Now let's hope my boys don't get slaughtered by Auburn tomorrow after I just set them up on that pedestal. But if you see me ranting about the Gamecocks or hear me hollering GO COCKS, you know I'm not talking dirty to ya.

I found out this week that my great-nephew received some "Aunt" clothing from an Aunt on the other side of his family. I was not thrilled with that. Don't they all know I'm the professional aunt, and now have the title of Great Aunt?! If there is "Aunt" merchandise to be purchased, that is my job dammit! At least I can still say I bought him his first one.

To clarify something I mentioned earlier, no I don't have a movie theater in my town, just like I don't have a Walmart. See why the internet is my link to the outside world? Mom jokes that I have to "come to the big city" on occasion just to go shopping. The town they live in is 45 minutes from me, so I am usually making the trip with a list in hand. Try seeing how easy it is to only go to the grocery store and Dollar General for things and see how long you last. It's peachy, I'm telling you.

Getting out...

Sherry and I went to the bar today to watch the Steelers game, and we talked my nephew into joining us. See, I'm getting out! Normally, I would have watched it online when the game isn't broadcast here, but we had a lot of fun. I think we're definitely going to have to do that more often. It was great talking to other fans during the game.