Bailey loves her 'boney' - and YES, this photo was taken today...so accept the last photo as merely an extra.  On another note, the Canucks suck ass - I'd love to rant, but I won't.

Is Lindsay Lohan now an alien?  You decide.  If not, she can certainly star in 'Signs II'

Thur's pic in advance - some of you kids got a little catching up to do...yeah Ron I'm talking to you - bugger - going to the game tonight with AlMac - regardless, happy Bday old man.

Some pals from the coffee shop:

A wee tribute to the lovely Amber Nectar...

Man trapped by sofa sipped whisky

A man who became trapped beneath his sofa for two days said he survived by sipping from a bottle of whisky.

Joe Galliott, 65, lost his bearings during a power cut at his home in Yeovil, Somerset, and fell against the three-seater which toppled onto him.

Because of back problems, he was unable to free his 19-stone frame and remained stuck for 60 hours until a neighbour spotted him through the curtains.

He said a bottle of whisky, which had rolled within reach, kept him going.

"The whole settee tipped over catching me like a rat in a trap," he said

"I took a sip of [the whisky] and thought, well this isn't too bad."

Curtains closed

But after several hours without food or water, he admits, he became quite worried.

"It felt like a lifetime, you think you're there forever," he said.

The alarm was raised by a neighbour who had peered through the window, after becoming concerned that Mr Galliott's curtains had not been drawn for two days.

He spent five days recovering in hospital after his ordeal earlier this month.

Mr Galliott said he was keeping another bottle of whisky by the sofa "just in case."

Today's pic - the CT machine from last night's scan:

And no smart asses - it was scanning my leg, not my head!

Caught up!!!!!

This flock of birds arrived in the Mountain Ash in my back yard today.  It's funny, cuz I've heard that the berries become fermented over the winter, and the birds get drunk.  True enough - they looked a little wobbly.  One even 'crashed.'  Was quite a sight.

And still more catching up:

Wolf tracks...I mean Bailey tracks on the deck!

More Catch up...

This is where the magic happens...

Playing Catch up....

Tile meets sleuter meets wood...

Another desk shot - not very good, but I enjoy the shadow.  Hiram enjoys looking cool.  He does it well.

What a speech.  What a spectacle.  I'm hopeful that I'll see a politician who transcends all, who can do what's needed south of the 49th; a politician who can help restore the USA to the great nation it once was.  He (as always) moved me deeply as he spoke, and I can only pray that his words will ring true.  When he spoke of uncurling a fist, and being able to shake that hand - I felt hope.  Here's hoping... 

The view above my desk.

Isn't he a cute wee lad? His eyes are completely his mothers, the grubby fingers are all his!

Back Yard Snow Scene

The melt begins...



I'm going to use my new camera for all of these shots, so I'm playing with the functions. On this one, I added a color filter, and cropped it.

365 - Whatever. Welcome to the newest thing: 349!

Welcome Back BIg Fella!

Well, Bobby Lou is finally back - in the two months he's been gone, the Nuckleheads have looked like a team without direction, a team without a leader. He's back!!! No more excuses...now if only 'The Glass Man' aka Salo could return his booming shot to the blue line; I'd feel much better. But apparently Salo caught an edge at practice (he was out with a fractured rib), fell down, and hurt himself again. This, coming from a guy who once broke his wrist slipping into the boards during training camp. Oh Sami - some calcium supplements perhaps? Tonights prediction: Van 4 - Pho 1.

MMMMMMMMM



TASTY MOOSE.....

Erin enclosed this image in a set of National Geographic's best photographs from last year. It makes me sad I didn't get to hunt the past two seasons. I miss the yummy meat, but yearn even more for the privilege of witnessing sights like this one. The closest I've gotten to nature of late was hunting for an XMas tree. Like all hunts, it was an adventure. We passed up on many smaller specimens, only to settle for a larger, full bodied specimen. Not sure if I had the proper tags, licenses etc...

Well, Well, Well...

The Saskatchewan man awaiting sentence in connection with the 2008 freezing deaths of his two little girls has been arrested and is in custody after allegedly breaching his release conditions by drinking alcohol.

Christopher Pauchay, 25, of Yellow Quill First Nation pleaded guilty last year to criminal negligence causing the deaths of Kaydance, 3, and Santana, 15 months.

Last week, Pauchay was in court where a judge ruled he would be sentenced by a sentencing circle, with his next court appearance set for Jan. 27.



I just don't get this one. This fella had 50 prior convictions. He let his children die while in a drunken stupor. He had to abide the peace, and refrain from drinking. He couldn't do that. It gets me wondering about a few things however:

Who within his community enabled him to drink again? The same peers who would be members of his 'sentencing circle?'

Who enabled him the cash to buy more booze? Oh wait - yeah, gotta go pay my taxes...

A forum poster summed it up like this:

There should be public outcry if this man is still allowed the benefit of a sentencing circle on January 27th.

According to news reports he was late for his court appearances more than once. If one breach was on December 14th why did they not arrest him again that day instead of a month later?

Not only does this last development indicate that he has no respect for the law but also that the Yellow Quill reserve is not capable of supervising the behaviour of Mr. Pachay either and therefore should have no say in the sentencing of this man. Most certainly he should not be allowed to serve his sentence in the community.

The courts have tried to accomodate and show respect for his culture and he obviously is incapable of doing the same. He was granted his sentencing circle and he has only rediculed the courts in thanks for the special considerations they allowed him and brought more shame to his community.

Mr. Pachay should now have to stand in a courtroom and face his sentence without the benefit of a sentencing circle the same way as any other Canadian would have to. I hope the judge has learned something from this whole fiasco too. One set of laws and one justice system for every Canadian...no exceptions.

Time to face the fire Mr. Pachay.


And I couldn't agree more...

"Congratulations on purchasing the 2009 Mats Sundin!

This manual will assist you in getting to know your Mats Sundin and will maximize your enjoyment and efficiency of your new unit.

Made from the finest in Old World engineering (Pops was a charmer), the 2009 Mats Sundin is where Swedish style meets Scandinavian efficiency. It is specialized, talented and umlaut-free!

You’ve probably already noticed some major differences between this unit and one of our earlier models, like the 1995 Mats Sundin. That model came with long golden locks of hair whereas yours resembles a marble. While you lose a little in aesthetics, you gain by not having all that extra weight and frictional drag providing a smooth, efficient ride with great fuel economy.

The 2009 Mats Sundin is also larger (and roomier) than our 1995 model with slightly more girth and slightly less length (darned Mother Nature) and, although the size might be attractive, be careful not to misuse your new 2009 Mats. Too much banging into things will inevitably cause your model to falter (please be aware any fighting immediately voids your warranty).

Under the hood, the 2009 Mats Sundin has a slightly smaller engine than our earlier model, which shouldn’t be a factor unless it’s driven too far into the early summer. Historically, the Mats is a strictly winter-driving model. How it copes with on-ice conditions beyond the month of May is purely theoretical at this point. We have provided you with a toll-free hotline should the unthinkable occur, but must confess we haven’t actually had any need to man the phones up to this point.

Talking to your 2009 Mats Sundin is a pleasure. It is fluent in at least two languages and often has some very interesting things to say, although we have yet to determine what causes that annoying string of clichéd answers we’ve had so many complaints (from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association) about.

Still, the 2009 Mats is a joy to be around and you can’t help but smile every time that cute accent enunciates a word uniquely or elongates the S’s as in the famous “PokerStarSSSSSSS dot net.”

When parking your 2009 Mats, we strongly suggest putting it between similar productive models that are also fast, skilled and prolific. The 2009 Mats has been abused terribly over the past 13 years - often being paired with sloths and models badly needing recalls - that has caused considerable undue wear and tear. If you take care of your 2009 Mats, it will take care of you*.

*Purchasing the 2009 Mats Sundin in no way guarantees any on-ice success. There are no implicit Stanley Cup promises, nor are there any assurances of achievement of any kind. Hell, we’re not even sure it can lift the darned thing."

Here's hoping Mats plays with this kinda grit tonight, and ahem - stays the hell out of the penalty box. While sitting in the box in two out of three games he's played since coming to my beloved Nucks, the opposition has scored game winning goals. That's not a trend I hope to see continue. Apparently the Nuckleheads were bag skated yesterday, publicly called out by the coaches, and coming into tonights game with (surprise surprise) revamped lines. Taylor Pylon will skate with Sundin and Raymond. Raymond, by the way, can apparently skate like a billion miles in any given game without actually coming anywhere near the oppositions net. Demitra has apparently found AV's doghouse in a big way. He practiced on the fourth line yesterday. This move bewilders me. Demitra seems to be responsible defensively, and isn't getting much of a chance to gel with linemates given AV's love of juggling. Regardless of all this drivel, the good news is that God is due back tonight or Thurs. So there is something to be thankful for after all.

MSNBC - Mack is one of a growing number of men — from construction workers to athletes and businessmen — who've found a passion for pantyhose, claiming they wear the hosiery for support, comfort and aesthetic purposes. Luckily, there are now pairs made specifically for men so that they don't have to ravage their wives’ or girlfriends’ dressers to nestle into a pair of nylons. The "mantyhose" comes in a variety of colors and designs, but, Katz says, basic black holds the title as most popular. "There are a lot of guys who like wearing the product because of the benefits — the support, the warmth — but the gender hang-ups about pantyhose are still so pervasive," he said. Many men who wear "mantyhose" say it isn't them or even other guys who are embarrassed —it's mostly their wives and girlfriends.


I’m going to be as clear and concise as I can with this one. If a dude wears mantyhose that means he’s gay or a cross dresser. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

For Erin:

Found this while perusing that Canuck's chat board that I'm a wee bit hooked on.
Thought this might give you a giggle.