Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving Day and weekend. We had a lovely day with family on Thursday and then spent the rest of the weekend eating deliciousness -- DH's word for the things that you can't eat all the time. I.E. Rotel Queso, pizza, brownies... I did make a lovely beef stew to balance things out though.

Anyway, today, I'm just gonna share some random things.

So I've had this oven mitt for over two decades--I still use it weekly and it has one job. And that's to hold the handle of my large stock pots while I'm cooking.

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Do y'all remember this mug? I got this early- to mid-2000s and I used it for ages and ages. These days, I'm using my tall Dallas Stars Tervis mug--which doesn't look like the picture because it's stained to heck and back with tea :0) -- but this was my go-to mug back in the day. I loved it so much, and I carted it around with me. I bought a second one in red on a subsequent trip to the USS Lexington and then broke it rather quickly. After that, I left the original at home. :0)

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Who's not familiar with Elf on a Shelf? Basically, you buy the little elf doll and move him around the house for the little ones of the house to find each day during the holiday season. DD was in charge of the "Elf Program" at her school for a couple of years. She passed it along this year because she's already at school early enough as it.

Anywho--one of our employees has a 3-D printer and created a glow-in-the-dark skeleton whose joints move. We ended up with him somehow and DH left him in the bathroom one day, and then the next day, someone (DD) started moving him around the bathroom. Then it became a game. Whoever found him moved him to a new spot. But the bathroom is only so big, so we moved the game to the kitchen and the living room.

He's been found and moved several times since his stint in the light fixture.

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Stars Win!

So DD and I got to watch a game from one of the suites. Someone donated two suite seats to the school fall carnival silent auction which DD won. We even got "gold parking" as part of the package.

It was a really fun experience / opportunity to enjoy the game from a suite. The food there was free, but we had to pay for our beverages, which was fine.

Here are a few pictures...

Our gold parking was under a restaurant next to the American Airlines Center and we got to take the elevator right up to the level our suite was on. Fancy!!

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Take care and catch you in a couple of weeks.

...short lived though it was.

But by the time you're reading this, Sonshine will have come and gone. I was gonna post this last Monday, but random things conspired to make me forget. Oops. :0)

But spending five days with my beloved Sonshine was wonderful. He did let me know, in no uncertain terms, that Texas was, sadly for me, no longer a place he wished to live. I'd been holding on to hope that he'd eventually move "home." But home for him is now across the Sound from Seattle proper. Of course, him being there and the Brown Eyed Girl being in Colorado gives us good reason to visit two very gorgeous geographies.

Any who, time with Sonshine is always prized so we spent five days mostly talking, but we also did puzzles, played some games, and just generally hung out. We even took him out to eat for his "half" birthday.

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On a sad note, my Dallas Stars just couldn't get through the Western Conference Final to the Stanley Cup Final. I have been soooo sad and disappointed for them. For me now, though, hockey season is over. I have had no desire to watch the Stanley Cup Final. (Nor listen to my podcasters break down what happened!) I just hope the Eastern Conference Champs, the Florida Panthers, win the Cup.

On a muuuuch sadder note, one of the NHL's favorite veteran players and hugely popular Dallas Star Joe Pavelski says he's retiring. My heart cracked a little when I heard the news. He's 39 now and that's considered old in hockey years. He'd defied the aging curve up until the last month or so of hockey, but it seemed to have finally caught up with him. I hoped he stays with us one more year playing in the bottom six, but that remains to be seen.

There were tears in the dressing room and tears across the Stars fan base at his loss. We're hoping that if he doesn't accept another one-year player contract, he takes a job in Dallas Stars management, consolation prize though it be for him.

* * * * *

And finally, Happy Birthday Dad!

Today would have been his seventy-seventh birthday.

Image courtesy depositphotos.com.

I finally got the confirmation that Sonshine can and will be coming for a visit. He'll be here the week of my birthday and, with any luck, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will have come and gone and I'll be dragging my boy to downtown Dallas for a parade. :0)

* * * * *

Speaking of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round Two has come and gone since last we chatted. And the Stars are still playing hockey. WHOOO! They're currently in the middle of the Western Conference Final.

DD and I attended the watch party of Round 2, Game 6, where our boys in Victory Green had to win the game twice... and I know you're asking "What does that even mean, Jen?"

It means we scored in the first overtime but the goal was disallowed and we had to keep playing. We made it to second overtime and were able to score / win. (FYI, overtime in the playoffs is sudden death.)

And we bought tickets to Round 3, Game 2 while driving home that night, lol...

By the time you're reading this, we'll have attended that game, and we'll play Round 3, Game 3 the night this posts.

We're 1-1 in the series so far. :0) LETS GO STARS!!!

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So DD and I saw Hamilton last week and I gotta say... Great performance by the cast. It wasn't Lin-Manuel Miranda and Company, but it was as good as could be expected. I got a magnet to remember the occasion by, and it's basically that star in the image above, just with the gold and the black reversed.

Now, for a performance in a fancy-schmancy opera house, there was an interesting array of modes of dress. From summer shorts & tee shirts to dressy dresses and sports coats and everything in between, everything was represented. And more power to y'all.

Having not previously attended a performance there, we picked seats we thought would be a good mix of affordable and that provided a good view of the stage. We didn't pick great--it's always a learning curve, isn't it? If I sat back comfortably in my seat, I was unable to see about 1/3 if the stage at an angle as we were seated along the left side of the opera house on the 4th level. Next time, we need to be more centrally located.

As a result I had to sit with a few contortions and it wasn't comfortable by any stretch. My back, which already has issues, was not a happy camper. Live and learn.

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Okay, friends...that's all for this edition. Catch you in two weeks. Hope you're having a lovely Memorial Day Weekend.

So let's start with the Stars...it took seven nail-biting games against a tough opponent to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That was a week and a half ago.

Now they're playing an even tougher opponent in the Colorado Avalanche... The Avs had a week+ of rest. The Stars had none. There's always the conversation of "rest versus rust" when a team has significant time off between playoff rounds... 

Now I don't know which way the pundits are leaning as far as that question goes because I'm losing faith in the so called experts for a variety of reasons.

Anywho, my boys in Victory Green played Round One, Game Seven on a Sunday, played Round Two, Game One on the following Tuesday, which they promptly lost. *sigh* Then they won Round Two, Game Two (so a split at home!) Then they flew to Denver (the mile-high city, dontcha know) and curb-stomped the Avs in their own barn.

So we're three games deep and the Stars are leading the series 2-1.

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[there should be a picture here, but I forgot to have someone take one--argh!]

In happier news, I got see my Brown-Eyed Girl and her soulmate this past weekend. Soulmate's niece graduated from TCU so on Friday, we were invited to dinner with soulmate's family. And it was treat to finally meet his mother and two sisters. Our kids have been together (with a short hiatus) for close to a decade at this point.

And this past Sunday/Mother's Day, they came and stayed overnight at the house before flying home today.

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And in equally happy news, it looks as though Sonshine will be able to come for a visit after all. He's supposed to call me on his day off and we're going to book his flight.

It's a been a few years--I need a new picture of me and my sonshine. :0)

*

And that is that for this edition of Jen's blog. Have a great week! Catch you in two...

How 'bout those Texas Rangers??

I only follow baseball tangentially because the Brown-Eyed Girl and her Soulmate are fans of the Houston Astros who played the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series, the winner of which (the aforementioned Rangers), went on to the MLB WORLD SERIES, and because the Rangers are a baseball team a) located in the DFW Metroplex where I also live and b) it was an interstate series between my local team and my older daughter's favorite team. And then my younger daughter decided she needed to follow the World Series this year...and the Rangers won, ending a decades-long drought of championships in a metroplex with teams in all five major sports.

That's the extent of my caring about baseball at all. :0)

Aside from the Rangers making it to and WINNING the World Series, it's been a quiet few weeks. We reached the calmer, quieter time of the month at work and the taxes got done, so there's a weight off my shoulders.

Then we hit the busy time of month (the transition of one month to the next) and are now sliding into the quieter time again. Time to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I've been reading non-fiction (with quite a bit of fiction mixed in), as I mentioned in my last post. The latest book was called "Start Your Own Corporation" and discussed the best corporation types based on your objectives both on a personal level as well as a business level. Yes, individuals can operate as corporate entities. So we'll see what I learn. The next book will be "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.

The point of all of this reading is to be financially literate and to get into the best position possible for retirement, despite starting so late in the game. I've got a ways to go, but the journey is interesting and educational. At the very least, I can contribute to our financial future. :0)

Dallas Stars Super Fan Mike Antoines Honored

That guy in the picture above--that's Mike...known to any Stars fan worth their salt as Mullet Mike. This past Halloween, our beloved top line forward Joe Pavelski attended the team's Halloween party as...

You know where that's going. :0) Yup--

Pavs attended the party as Mullet Mike. I though he pulled it off handsomely.

Joe Pavelski as Mullet Mike with a cameo by Gerry Seguin, Tyler Seguin's youngest "son."

In other news, my dear sweet chill gentleman cat Waldo developed a tumor on his neck a month or so ago, and we ended up having to put him to sleep last week. It absolutely broke my heart to do it. He'd really grown on me and in my heart in the short time he was in my life.

My wonderful DH catered to my strong compulsion that Waldo shouldn't have to "go" at the vet's office, and for a little bit more money (a relative term, I know), we paid for a traveling vet to come to the house.

It was as peaceful and relaxed as this event could be, and Waldo was able to pass from this world to the next in the comfort of his own home. I was able to say goodbye (blubber like a baby) to this fine ol' fella in the privacy of my own home too.

Rest in peace, sweet Waldo... May you enjoy the forever sunshine over the Rainbow Bridge.

HOCKEY'S BACK!!

After about six years of Dallas Stars fandom, my team is finally good enough to garner the attention of the greater hockey media from across the country. That is to say, my boys in Victory Green get mentioned more often in the articles I read and the podcasts I hear these days.

DD and I attended the Dallas Stars' home opener and it was great to be back in the American Airlines Center. It's a really lovely building on the outside and I'm rather partial to the inside when it's set up for hockey games. :0)

And although we won (in overtime), the game itself was mostly "meh" to me. We were missing our top-line center and it was noticeable. But, as I said, we they pulled out the win, and at the end of the day, no one remembers how it happened.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The last non-fiction book I completed was Rich Dad, Poor Dad and it was super interesting. The gist is that the educational system doesn't teach our children how to be entrepreneurs, it teaches them how to be employees. And while we need employees...we also need folks who can HIRE those employees. And as I've learned over the last twenty years of small-business ownership--it's not for everyone. But there are also other ways to be financially free.

Two big take-aways for me from this book are:

1) Your house is not an asset. If it costs you any kind of money, it's not an asset. Now, a house is a better use of your money than living in an apartment, but it's still not an asset unless you're renting it out and it's making money for you.

2) Being wealthy and being rich are two different things (according to Robert). Wealthy means being able to pay your monthly expenses with passive income from your assets & investments. Rich people are the Warren Buffets and Donald Trumps of the world. I like that distinction because one of those is way more attainable for me.

As I mentioned in my last post about my progress in reading non-fiction, reading this book suggested the next non-fiction book, and I finally started reading it. (Had to take a break from the educational reading and do some reading for pleasure.) There's also another book I bought earlier this year and never read, so I should probably read that one of these days. :0) Where that fits into the grand scheme of books to read, I have no idea.

Re-imagining the Vision Board for 2023

I need to re-do the vision board for Q4 of 2023... I've made strides toward the goals that were pictured, but it became clear to me as September rolled along that I had a disconnect between the various action tracks I was on. I had to take some time to re-assess the three tracks and align them so that all my efforts were working toward the same goal.

It's not that I don't want to reach all the goals, but I realized that some were stepping stones to others so instead trying to do "all" of them, I need to focus on the nearest stepping stone so as to make the most progress in the most direct and efficient fashion.

I'm talking about finances and debt here. I won't go into too much detail, but trying to save a nest egg is great, but paying off debt and eliminating finance charges and interest fees is a more lucrative short-term goal. So, yeah, alignment and streamlining.

DD and I have been working our way through this medical drama. It had been an enjoyable breath of fresh air with the main character, the medical director of a large public hospital, making changes to policies and procedures for the good of the patients. Things we have all probably all questioned at some point or other.

It was going great until we reached season two. AKA the COVID season. I don't watch a wide swath of television, so I don't know this to be true, but I imagine most shows addressed it some way, some how.

Medical shows probably had to address the pandemic seeing as how they're medical shows. I've watched Grey's Anatomy for years (in real time) and they definitely did.

Watching the pandemic play out in delayed real time was understandable although I wasn't a fan. I wanted to escape the reality of COVID, but, again, I understand why medical dramas included that reality.

It's definitely different / interesting to watch a show that addresses a real time world event like the pandemic after the event has passed. Especially something like a pandemic where the virus itself morphed and changed at a fast pace and the medical and scientific communities were learning on the go.

We know so much more now, of course, good and bad / true and untrue, with the benefit of hindsight and the continued analysis of the chain of events and the data. Almost everyone (from news, to governments, to entertainment) jumped on the various band wagons and people were "labeled" if they disagreed with anything. (What happened to free speech and respectful discourse??) And now we're learning that maybe some of the people who had qualms about various policies maybe weren't so heretical after all...

The show also jumped on other various band wagons which while topical at the time, don't always have great results as time passes. I get that it's a tough challenge & balance for show runners, but it's all a bit uncomfortable to watch, to be honest.

In addition to plugging through "New Amsterdam," (week nights are hit or miss depending on how either of us feels by the time DD gets home), I've re-watched a couple of favorite films in the last couple of weeks.

I was scrolling through Netflix one day and saw "The Imitation Game" starring Benedict Cumberbatch. You all know of my love for Mr. Cumberbatch and so I spent a couple of hours once again enjoying his performance as the pioneer of computer science, Alan Turing--aka the man primarily responsible for breaking the Enigma code.

I never ceased to be moved by this film, especially the tragedy of Turing's death.

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On the complete opposite spectrum of tones of movies, I also re-watched "Dumplin'," a coming-of-age movie (based on a book) about an overweight young woman who finds peace with and acceptance from her (former) beauty queen mother as well making some new friends along her journey--including the hot new boy at school with whom she also works.

The film's soundtrack is all Dolly Parton, whose humor and wisdom underpins the plot. It's a fun, sweet, uplifting movie, and you just can't help but smile through the last twenty or so minutes.

Before writing this up, I didn't realize the movie was based on a book, but it is. So what did I do? Looked to see if it was available in the online library--which it was--so I promptly borrowed it. And while doing that, discovered that there are two sequels which I will also borrow in due course. :0)

It turns out that the book doesn't have nearly so much Dolly in it and less of a few other things I found very fun and enjoyable about the movie. Usually I'm more disappointed in the movie than the book, but in this case, I like the movie more.

And that's all I've got for you, dear followers. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Take care. See you in a couple of weeks.

Sadly, my Dallas Stars finally succumbed to the inevitable. They'd gone down 3-0 and clawed their way back to 3-2...they needed a win Monday night in the worst way and just couldn't pull that rabbit out of the hat.

Seeing grown men cry is the worst. :0(

One of the traditions in hockey is the handshake line at the end of a playoff series. I'm of two minds about it... It's gotta suck as the losing team to wait around for the winning team to end their initial jubilant celebration in order to shake your hand. As a fan, I like it. I guess it has that sportsmanship element that acknowledges that things could have just as easily gone the other way...

I'm sad for my boys in Victory (!) Green, but am relieved for myself. Playoff hockey uses up a lot of energy, and life can kinda stall out as you progress from game to game and series to series. But now I'm off the hook and can look forward to and move forward toward upcoming events.

Have a great weekend.

BONUS POST!

My Dallas Stars took the second round against the Seattle Kraken with a game seven win last night. It was nail biter for Stars fans even though the many of the hockey writers / pod casters I read / listen to seem to think the series was boring...

The Stars now move on to the third round, also known as the Conference Final--Western--in our case and will play the Vegas Golden Knights who punched their ticket Sunday night.

Vegas has depth, but not as good of a goalie as the Stars do.

Our goalie, Jake Oettinger, is said to be the best tendy of the four teams left playing. We also have what's been touted as the best top forward line for two regular seasons running. And not just by me. :0)

We're looking at the Carolina Hurricanes or the Florida Panthers coming out of the Eastern Conference to play in the Stanley Cup Final.

Carolina has the more suspect goal tending and a few more injuries, although that hasn't slowed them down much... So I think I'd rather the Stars play Carolina. The Panthers' goalie has gotten hot at just the right time, so I think facing him would be a tougher challenge for our team.

Have a great week.

>

The Dallas Stars have made the playoffs! But you knew that right??

*Clicking on the image will show you the largest version...

According to the chart above, created last October, the Stars had a 58.3% chance of making it to the playoffs and a less than 6.2% change of running the gauntlet of four rounds and winning the Stanley Cup.

Well. they made to the playoffs and they've secured home ice. Which means the first two games are at home to give them the lift of a hometown crowd to support them and cheer them on to early victory. DD and I have tickets to Wednesday night's second home game... :0)

Fast forward six months from the date of the original chart and there's new chart with the sixteen teams (of thirty-two) who made the cut.

Our chances of winning the Cup, today, before the playoffs even start, is 4.6%. It's not the lowest but it's close. They thing about hockey, though, is that once you're in, anything can happen. There are a lot of factors outside the players' control that help or hinder a team's progress.

Injuries to your own players or to the players of your opponent are a big factor, as is "puck luck" and the capriciousness of the officials on the ice making calls. The frustration of many teams is that the officials put the whistles away come playoffs because they don't want to affect the outcome of the games.

BUT... They affected every one of the eighty-two games that led to these teams being in the playoffs and they affect the outcome of a game by not calling penalties when penalties are due anyway. So please, for the love of the Hockey Gods, call the penalties as required.

Okay, enough of that. The officials that get assigned to the Stars' games are all going to call penalties properly. I'm putting that into the universe.

If you don't have rooting interests in another team, will you please send your well wishes and winner vibes toward our boys in Victory Green?

Many thanks!

And on a sad note, the Pittsburgh Penguins, captained by my favorite player Sidney Crosby, didn't make the playoffs for the first time in sixteen seasons. >>sad face<< That's basically Captain Crosby's tenure in the NHL...

Hope you have a great week and don't forget to:

BE LOUD while WEARing GREEN and cheering on the GO STARS!!

Have a super week.

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.

As the title says...it's a new month and it's a new quarter, and it's time to get moving. Literally and figuratively. :0)

Physical therapy for my hip is just about complete--one more PT appointment then I'm on my own. "PT" at home needs to continue until I'm dead. PT has been primarily yoga-type exercises, so no problem.

DH and I have started a new exercise / eating plan known as carb cycling. Instead of going full throttle on Keto, you cycle through days with higher and lower amounts of healthy carbs to coincide with higher and lower intensities of workouts. A quick Google search will bring up a bunch of articles if you're interested.

Carb cycling seemed like a good next step in our constantly morphing plan for weight loss and good health. DH was plateauing on Keto. He researched why and found not only the answer but a solution in carb cycling. We'll see how it goes.

* * * * *

It's also finally spring and we should have tolerable weather, at least, going forward. We've hit that part of the weather cycle where it's not warm and it's not hot, but because it's spring, there's a lot of moisture in the air and everything can get sticky.

That also means that my house partners will want to run the AC more...which I get, but there's a delicate balance between not sticky and too cold in the house for this time of year.

Conversely, there's been lovely mornings with the windows open and the breeze flows in over the bed and it's delightful and delicious to snuggle with Karma.

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Getting physical books that look professional is a chore. Every time I made a change in the Kindle Direct Publishing site, I had to wait three days for the proof copy. And then when I finally got everything situated and I hit the official "go live" button, the book had to go to review which was supposed to take up to 72 hours. Luckily for me, each book took less that 48. So now I'm waiting on the delivery of my first ever physical books! They should arrive between the 8th and 10th--two different shipments, one for each book.

That's cutting it a bit close, since my author event is the 15th. There's nothing to do in regards to books but hope and pray. Now I can focus on setting up my table. Finding my swag. Prepping for panel discussions or whatever programming I'll be tasked with. I've reached out to the librarian for questions in advance so I can prep for those in advance. I'm not good at off the cuff kinds of things.

And in preparation for selling physical books...I finally got around to setting up a method for accepting credit cards. For things like this, I definitely appreciate technology. All I have to do is plug the card reader into my phone, open the app, ring up the sale, and swipe. Easy peasy. I hope. I should probably do a test sale, huh?

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Image courtesy of DepositPhotos.

I've started yet another fiction book. I think I'm gonna blow right by my purported six books. Not that I mind. My current title in progress...

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill originally published in 1937.

I'm only a few chapters in, but it's very motivating so far.

What I find truly amazing--and I believe it's the universe at work here--is that it echoes other messages I've received from books and one of my YouTubers. So certain tenets are being reiterated. And I have to believe that that's my Angel Crew reinforcing the message they have for me and telling me to get after it.

I'm gettin', I'm gettin'...

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And last but not least, while my Dallas Stars haven't officially clinched a spot in the playoffs, it's been a given for months that they're gonna make it...

Thank goodness for the loser point, otherwise we'd be nowhere near the playoffs according to one of my pod casters. :0)

* * * * *

Have a great week!

Yes, this is an old picture, because you know what...?

We forgot to take a new one!

Her visit the week before last was a bit overshadowed after the fact by having to put the dog to sleep the day after she left, but she came, we visited, we enjoyed each others' company, she went home. And she's doing so well. I couldn't be more pleased.

We worried she wouldn't make it as a huge snow system was working its way across Colorado early that week, but the severity lessened and the system shifted south just slightly and it all worked out.

She and I just hung out Thursday and Friday afternoon, chatting and watching movies. On Friday we went out for her birthday dinner and had presents. Her birthday isn't until the beginning of March, but she was here, so we celebrated.

Saturday and Sunday was just more hanging out and visiting, although she left Sunday, so that was a bit fraught since she got emails saying her flight was delayed even though the airport and airline website both said it was on time. 

She arrived home safe and sound, and all is well.

* * * * *

Now, let's fill out the rest of this post with a...

Miscellaneous Monday

...round of random tidbits. (it is Monday after all.)

* * * * *

In other news, our Dallas Stars are Central Division / Western Conference leaders. By the skin of their teeth. At some point I could swear I reported that my boys in Victory Green hadn't lost more than two games in a row...

Well, they went and lost five in a row with a demoralizing loss to the worst team in the league last week who posted a come from behind victory after being three goals down... The Stars did win in overtime this past Saturday, though they had to go to overtime to do it, but two points are two points.

If it weren't for the loser point in many of their recent losses (getting a point if making it to overtime even if you lose) and an excellent run at the beginning of the season, we'd probably be on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

** sigh **

* * * * *

Update on Me... 

A)

Finally got back to the ortho doc. It turns out I have bursitis and labral tears in/on both hips.  The doc gave me an easy at-home exercise to do, prescribed an additional round of drugs as well as actual physical therapy. Fun times, we'll see how that goes.

It turns out I also have a bit of scoliosis. X-rays taken at my first ortho visit show a slight curvature. It's minimal and the ortho doc didn't seem too worried.

But I'm worried about it, so I bought a back brace that should help, and, bonus, will help with posture. It's probably related somehow, so helping one one will help both.

I really don't want to head into my 60s, 70s, and 80s with more medical issues than necessary, so this is the year to start addressing whatever crops up in a timely fashion.

B)

I'm also, it turns out, ten pounds over my preferred weight. So, yesterday, I started on a keto-based detox regimen to a) kick start the weight-loss and b) purify my system a bit. 

I went back to a book I'd read (only?!!) two years ago that posits that hormones and stress play a larger role in weight gain/loss in woman of my age. So the detox should also help with that which will help with my emotions which should help with a lot of other things.

It's been a growing season in many areas of my life for the past year or so. Just trying to course correct a bit and keep moving forward.

C)

I finally updated the goals list on the right side-bar column to 2023's version!

* * * * *

I've solidified the plan for DD's and my mini-road trip and booked the hotel. Our funding is still a little short at the moment, but we have two weeks from yesterday...

* * * * *

Our vet's office, to which we've been going for all the years we've lived in this house has been undergoing some decor updates. New foyer paint job and furniture. The back area where the exam rooms are was being painted when I was last in there. I imagine the exam rooms, too, will all undergo a face lift.

I'm glad they're doing well enough to do that.

Not that you care at all about my vet's office. :0)

Have a great week. See you Thursday.

Image courtesy the NHL / Dallas Stars.

It's been a while since we've I've talked about the Dallas Stars, huh?

It's not because they aren't doing well, because they are. They're doing so well, they're firmly in a playoff spot, bobbing between first and second place in the Central Division with Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets, depending on who wins or loses on a given night.

Our top line is the best top line in the League. And that's not just me saying that--that comes from beat writers and pod casters I read / listen to.

Our young goalie is one of the best in the League. His save percentage speaks for itself. But, again, beat writers are writing and pod casters are talking about the young goalie in Dallas.

It's just that I've had so much else going on since the start of the season in October. DD and I have only attended two games because attending games requires (a lot of) money and energy, both of which have been in short supply--the energy more than the money.

While I do keep track of their wins and losses over the course of a week, the last few months have been busy months, so hockey's been more a part of the background fabric of life right now than the thing around which other things get slotted.

DD and I have tickets to two games later in the season, already bought before the no-spend challenge was officially issued, so we'll go, have fun, and add to our bobble head collection. I mean, if we're gonna go, we might as well score before the game too, right??

I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to pre-fund food before the games and a beverage ($6 bottle of water) while there. During our last season as season ticket holders, we got pretty good at keeping the expense to a minimum, usually eating at home or picking up inexpensive food at QT.

QT hot dog: $2.50 versus AAC hot dog: $6.50

Crazy, huh?

At this point I really don't need any more souvenirs-- If the Stars make the play-offs, however, there will be commemorative puck purchases for the collection; possibly magnets if they make it all the way to the Stanley Cup. Maybe a key chain or two as I've discovered that many key chains convert nicely to Christmas tree ornaments.

I guess I'd better think about pre-funding those as well. :0)

Have a greet week and don't forget:

The Boys in Victory Green Are Back in Town!

DD and I enjoyed everything the Dallas Stars home opener had to offer this past Saturday--most especially the win!!

As mentioned, for the first time ever, we were able to attend the opening day Victory Green Carpet Walk. After a lunch out (thanks to a gift card and no out of pocket $$ spent), we lined up along said green carpet and waited. And waited. And waited. Things didn't get started until about twenty minutes after they should have.

We got got stuck behind people who kept pressing forward against the "rope" and blocking our view. This really sucks for a short person. And DD has a few inches on me, but she's still on the short side.

But I was able to get my phone mostly in good position that it could see what was coming and I was pleasantly surprised a few moments later.

After being there way early and the things not starting on time, DD and I didn't stick it out for the whole thing. We were both hot and tired and very thirsty, so we left before everyone had walked the carpet. We only missed a couple of faces we would have liked to have seen, but we got the really important ones.

Jamie Benn, the captain:

Tyler Seguin, the super model:

Jake Oettinger, the new number one netminder:

And this dapper fellow here, is Luke Glendening. I thought he just looked so charming with his bow tie.

After our return to the car for some cool air and cool drinks, we returned to the arena. Not to our former season-ticket-holder seats, but close enough. But sadly we were in a set of seats that saw a lot of traffic by lazy people. It ended up being a lot of up and down to let people pass. Lesson learned for future games.

But the game was exciting and we won again a division rival. As is my wont after a win, I got a picture--no, have the whole video!-- of the Reunion Tower Ball lit up in Dallas Stars colors:

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Cleanup in Aisle 9!

Okay, not really, lol.

But my Walmart did get new shopping carts yet again. They're a little unusual, but with a couple of cool new features: A phone holder on the left of the back of the child seat, and a cup holder on the right side of the seat back. As a short person, the push handle is a little higher than I'd prefer, but what are you gonna do? At least all the carts will push properly for a while--no wonky wheels yet.

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The Sun's a Hot Star...

Did you know that Venus and Uranus rotate east to west when all the other planets rotate west to east...?

There are some theories as to why and you can read those here, if you're so inclined.

Uranus also spins on its side, which those who are fans of the original Blue's Clues would know.

I did note that the animation had Venus and Uranus spinning in the correct direction!

As a side note, the original Blue's Clues was a staple in our house for many years as Sonshine was a wee little lad when it first aired.

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A very young Rayna...

Last but not least...

Our family was given sad news last week.

Rayna, our dog of eight years (she's 10), was diagnosed with a very fast growing bone cancer on/in her left shoulder that could easily metastasize to her chest. The best (but not likely) prognosis, even with aggressive measures (amputation and chemo) is two years.

Unfortunately, the cost of treatment for only the possibility of a two year reprieve doesn't make any logical sense. And we still wouldn't know if she's in any pain and how much. Or what her quality of life would be. So the plan is to give her another month of the best life we can offer and then euthanize her over the Thanksgiving week so that DD and I can both be emotional and not have to be at work while doing it.

A teenage/young adult Rayna...