Two For Two

The Budweiser Shootout was won with the National Guard car. The first Duel 150 was won with the Amp Energy car. Does anyone still have questions as to how good he is?



The next step is Saturday's Nationwide Series race. Dale Jr. will be driving the #5 National Guard car. Let's hope he can make it three for three.

Just Another Hurdle

All the Hendrick drivers had their engines changed "due to a lifter problem likely caused by a bad batch of coating." The rules state they must now start at the rear of the pack. I don't like it, but rules are rules.

Some drivers can get in a heap of trouble starting behind a lot of other drivers that must race their way into the Daytona 500 on Sunday. And those eager drivers will be hell bent for leather and will take more chances than they normally would. Add in the fact, too, that these CoT cars are in unfamiliar territory, having never raced at this track let alone in a field of 43 cars. The Budweiser Shootout had 23 drivers, and mostly top tier drivers at that.

I'm excited to see these duel races, finally, but not exactly eager to watch the possible carnage. With any luck at all, the Hendrick boys will escape any wrecks and help each other to the front where they can show their stuff. Ok, so I dilligently followed my driver over to the so-called "dark side" of Hendrick Motorsports. Big deal. I have been telling you all along that no matter where he went that I would follow. I don't care who he drives for, and to top it all off...I have become a follower of Casey, Jeff, and even Jimmie. And I'm not ashamed to admit it either.

Now, let's hope the Toyotas don't muddy up the show. I am also not ashamed to say that I do not like the idea of having Toyotas in NASCAR. Nope...just don't like the idea at all. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Skeet Ulrich & Jericho

The long-awaited (for me anyway) second season of Jericho was on Tuesday evening.

The last episode of the first season was shown on May 9, 2007. That's a long wait from then till now. I am so glad they decided not to cancel the show after all. That's a very long story that I don't want to get into right now, but I had a tiny hand in helping to bring it back.

It was well worth the wait though. There will be six more episodes, and if enough people tune in each week it will be in the lineup for Fall this year.

Because they filmed only seven episodes, they were able to cram lots of excitement into each one instead of having to draw things out over a full season. And that makes for some pretty exciting viewing.

If you missed it, too bad. Tune in next Tuesday at 10:00 PM EST.

Hang On!

I have been scouring every article I can to read about Dale Jr's fabulous win in the Budweiser Shootout, and some of them are somewhat upsetting to me.

There are those people who think that Dale Jr was "given" that win. Think again. Any racecar driver on any given day would prefer to win above all else. Yes, they are often told by their owner to help their teammates during the race, but when it comes down to the last couple laps and they see that there is a possibility that they could win the race, they will try to make that happen. No one is told to give a race to a teammate. Ain't happenin'. Junior has enough laurels to rest on to make it on his own to win without someone being told to help him win.

Besides, circumstances in the Shootout put Junior in the right place at the right time. He fought to be in front, as he well deserved to be. He didn't get to the front while waiting to be pushed there until the very end when it counted, just like he did in 2004 to help Dale Jarrett win during the same race.

The one thing the Hendrick organization stresses is teamwork, and they simply showed us how it can and should be done. There is no doubt in my mind that Junior had that race won from the get-go, just as soon as he took command of that first spot. (But I still held my breath all the way to the end.)

The people who have discovered him within the past few years and have become his fans are in for a real treat. They haven't seen the real Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not the way I have seen him when he first hit the track. He used to start in the back and just slice and dice his way to the front. A lot of times he would purposely drop to the back so that he could pass other cars. He loved every minute of it. He was having fun and he was doing what he loved the best: racing.

Somewhere along the line, the bottom fell out. It wasn't just one thing that happened, but rather a lot of things that were out of his control. Given a decent car, he can work magic. But if that car sucks, like the ones the she-bitch was giving him this past year, there's not much can be done to make it work, no matter who the driver is.

I truly believe that Dale Jr is very capable of being as good as, if not better than, his father. Just give him time and he will prove me right.

Meanwhile, climb in, pull your straps tight, and hold on because you are in for one helluva season!

So, Who won The Bud Shootout?

Damn straight it was Dale Earnhardt Jr!

What? You didn't think he would?

Well, shame on you.

Baby...he's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Days Are Here Again

Yes indeedy I certainly am smiling...and I will let you in on a little secret as to why: the racing season has started. Between SPEED channel and ESPN2, I am quite the happy camper. And I watched the drawing for positions in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout. Junior drew position 7. He usually draws a number putting him way in the back of the pack, so I am glad to see his luck in that department has changed. Now let's hope his luck stays that way for the remainder of the year.

Most of you are aware that Junior has marketed a candy bar called Big Mo, and it comes in two varieties. Chocolate covered caramel and chocolate covered peanut butter. The majority of the country had them at the beginning of the year, but in my area the candy was delayed for some reason and it wasn't being distributed till just a week or so ago. And guess what? It's made one county away from me. Yeah, go figure.

So when I finally found it in the store I bought one of each variety. But I didn't eat any right away. I'm funny that way. So yesterday I felt was the day I should try one. I chose the caramel first because I always save the best for last, saving the peanut butter. I'm funny that way too. Don't laugh. It's not funny.

Let me tell you right here and now that if you find the candy in your store, buy it and eat it right away. You will think you died and went to heaven. I can't buy any more. The amount of fat and calories in just one bar is beyond my quota for the whole day. But if you don't have to worry about clogged arteries or gaining weight, then please, by all means munch away to your heart's content.

And finally, for those of you anxiously waiting to see some racing, enjoy the Shootout Saturday and I hope your favorite driver wins. Especially if your favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr. You saw that coming, didnt you?

This Just In From Jade Gurss

(For those of you who don't know who Jade Gurss is, he was Junior's PR person when Budweiser was his sponsor. Jade was employed by Anheuser-Busch. He turned the job down when he was asked if he wanted to continue with Kasey Kahne as the new Bud driver.)

The following is from Jade's site:

Speaking of the #88 team, I laugh whenever I read or hear speculation of the immense pressure Junior is under this year. Don't believe it: he suddenly can go out and race with an owner that is supportive professionally and personally as well as not having the hopes and expectations of an entire company on his shoulders. I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, this move will be as valuable to Dale Jr. on a human level as it is an opportunity to drive the finest equipment. Any true competitor thrives on this: the chance to show your stuff in the best possible scenario.

I recall a brief exchange between the spotter and Dale Jr. during last year's Talladega race with the CoT...

Spotter: "It looks like the Hendrick cars can go whenever they like..."
Dale Jr: (droll) "Yeah... I remember what that feels like."

He will again experience that feeling this year.

******************************
Thank you Jade for those wonderful encouraging words. We are about to find that out, too, as race day approaches.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME RACING?

TV coverage from Daytona officially starts on Thursday of this week. Be there.

A Giant Upset

Congratulations to Elisha Nelson Manning and his band of rag-tag Giants on their Super Bowl win. When you believe, things happen. It was also announced a few minutes ago that Eli was named the MVP.



Here is a picture of some of my favorite scenery throughout the game:

Brady going down...again.

Which Chowder Will It Be?

Manhattan clam chowder vs New England Clam Chowder aka The Big Game aka The Super Bowl.

Can you tell the difference between the two chowders? Here is how I separated them when I was in my teens: Manhattan clam chowder is red, therefore I associate it with the redskins that sold that island to the white man. And, no, I do not like that term redskins, but it is the only way I can explain this.

New England clam chowder is white, therefore I associate it with all the snow that falls in that area. Simple, huh?

For all intents and purposes, this year I am a Manhattan clam chowderhead. Since I was raised in New York (both Manhattan and Long Island) as a child, naturally I have become a Giants fan. But remember, I am a 49ers fan first, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Cowboys since I am a Terrell Owens fan and follow him wherever he goes. My being an Owens fan goes back to when he played for the 49ers.

I am hoping the Giants can pull this one out and win. I don't care if it's only by one point, as long as they win. For some reason, and it goes back years before Tom Brady and his Patriots, I have had a dislike for that team. I don't remember why, it just is. And every year they make it to the Super Bowl and go on to win just adds fuel to the fire. And it's starting to burn out of control...

Fuzzy Pink Slippers

See these slippers? They are almost exactly like the ones we saw on the feet of a female teen that got off the school bus while we waited at a stop sign recently.

Is this a fad to wear these to school these days in certain parts of the country? Or is this section I live in the only part of the country that is loony-tunes? And it wasn't the school district I live in because for all the school taxes we pay every year, I would hope those kids have a little more smarts. Oh, but I can't say that anymore either. My school district was recently in the news (and still is) about sending porn via cell phones and they are now all over the country.

I might add that the girl was average: slim, long light brown hair, dressed average, pretty but not beautiful, if you know what I mean. And she did not limp. She kept up the pace of her fellow students and from our viewpoint, there was nothing wrong with her feet or any part thereof.

And if she wore them in error forgetting they were there when she left the house, she sure didn't look embarassed about it. No one pointed at her and laughed either. In other words, it looked to me like this was the proper thing to do and certainly not out of the ordinary in her estimation.

So I ask again...is this a fad or was she just being weird?

Yeah Rick, We Love Him Too

Here are some recent quotes from Rick Hendrick, Dale Jr's new boss:

“Junior so far, you would think coming in here, from what I had heard about him being late and not wanting to be a part of things, he’s the first one with his hand up. He’s gone with me to dealerships and things and he loves it. I hope it doesn’t wear off. He wants to do good, and we want to see him do good."

“He’s one of the neatest guys — and I’ve said this before — you can see why he’s so popular once you get to know him. He's got a good heart, and he’s a good person.”

“He’s real sensitive to how people feel, and that’s a really good trait for anyone to have. I’m very impressed with that. Most people would say, ‘I’m the most popular driver; I can do this or I can do that.’ It’s not that way at all. He respects all those guys and they respect him. It’s working out better than I ever thought it would. There are no regrets.”

************

I recently read somewhere that Rick was a little apprehensive about signing Junior because of some things he'd heard about him. Like sleeping late, being late for appointments, etc. Now that Rick has seen first hand that Junior isn't like that anymore, is one of the reasons he said 'no regrets'.

Well, somewhere between then and now our Junior has reached another stage of growing up. The first time was after his daddy died and he carried not only DEI on his shoulders, but most of the world too. The second time was when he realized he had to get out from under a very delusional owner's thumb.

He's on his way to proving he is his own man...finally!

Second Best Seat In The House

As we get older, there are fewer things that make us really happy. I mean, so happy you could just jump for eternal joy. Recently (like Tuesday) my happiness level rose to almost an all-time high. You see, my husband finally installed our new john/toilet/crapper/hopper/throne/water closet/lavatory...depending on what part of the world you reside in. I may have missed a few.

Last summer the old one started giving us trouble. Not enough to consider a replacement yet, but enough to be somewhat bothersome every once in awhile.

Meanwhile, my husband started going to an auction once a week. I was glad to get him out of the house and from under my feet. That is for the cats to do. That auction is a place where almost everything under the sun comes up for bids sooner or later.

One week he came home to tell me he'd purchased a commode. I asked if it was a new one. (Wouldn't you?) Thank God he said yes and that both the tank and bowl were in their original boxes. They both found a resting place in our garage. With my Mustang.

As the weeks went on, the old one got crankier and crankier and so did I. Eventually it only flushed fully maybe once every five times. Those other times we helped it along with water from a bucket. Which I had to keep by its side all the time. Classy.

Now, we're not country bumpkins. I have lived in the big city, and most of my life I have never been without a good working commode. Did I mention my husband is a worse procrastinator than I am? I think I did just recently.

About two weeks ago that commode finally said Enough! I quit! And quit it did. We were down to the bucket brigade every blessed time we flushed. At that point I mentioned to my husband I felt like Abraham Lincoln was still the president. See, you cannot nag him or he will drag his feet even longer, so I have to drop subtle hints.

Finally this past Sunday (during that first crappy football game where the Patriots won), he told me the commode would be installed on Monday, no excuses. And he lived up to his word. But not without some drama. I'll just let your imagination take over here and just say I'm so happy I could s**t!


(Sorry, these aren't ours. I would never own a white one.)

And in case you are wondering which is the best seat in the house? That would be my recliner.

Rest In Peace

Heath Ledger ~ 1979-2008



One of my all-time favorite movies is A Knight's Tale.

It hit the theaters in 2001. I don't remember if it was that same year or 2002 that I purchased it from my satellite company as an all-day ticket, meaning I could watch it all day if I cared to. I was home on a sick day. I must have watched that picture at least six times one right after the other. I never got tired of it. I absolutely love it to this day and could probably say that it is indeed my all-time favorite movie.

When I heard Heath was found dead in his New York apartment, I couldn't believe it. He had so much to live for at the age of 28. Until the autopsy is performed, no one knows exactly what happened. I so hope it wasn't suicide and that it was an accident.

My prayers go out to his family.

Being Philosophical With Time On My Hands

As I sat in the waiting room contemplating my long wait (4-1/2 hours) while my husband was having his annual stress test, I had ample time to think about a lot of things.

Foremost and above all, the one thing on my mind almost 100% of the time is Dale Jr. I worry about him as a mother does her only son. (I only have one daughter.) Dale Jr, to me, seems to be the type that needs to be "mothered." And I mean that in a nice way, not a perverted way. The fact that he already has a mother doesn't bother me ~ I can share.

Last year my biggest worriment was whether he'd make it to the end of any given race. Mostly, he did not. I don't think that is something I have to worry about this year. However, I am prone to worrying somewhat, so it's obvious I have to find something new to occupy the worry portion of my brain, if there is such a thing.

And so, while sitting in that waiting room, I tried to think of something new to worry about where Dale Jr is concerned. Try as I might, I couldn't come up with anything ~ and that's a good thing because:

He's in good hands

He's got a good boss, good teammates, and good equipment

He's got a strong family base that stands behind him 100% no matter what decisions he makes

He's blessed with a smart and wonderful sister who guides him most of the way

And the most important thing in my mind that he has is:

JR NATION

We fans love him like a son, friend, nephew, brother etc. He means so much to us that we sometimes feel he's actually a part of our families. It's hard to explain why. It just is. And other drivers' fans never have been able to understand that. I doubt they ever will.

All I can say is, you have to be a Dale Jr fan to fully understand it. And once you do, there's no going back. Once you've become a Dale Jr fan (and I mean a fully-committed-I'll-never-leave-him-he'll-always-be-my-driver-fan), then and only then will you really, really understand what I am trying to say.

It's a phenomenon I have yet to decipher myself, and I don't think I want to. So for those of you who are reading this and aren't a fan of his, all I ask of you is to try it, you might like it. And like I said, once you're hooked, there's no going back. Just relax and enjoy the ride. I am.

Yes, I'm Still Pissed

Me? Procrastinate? Surely You Jest

Sometimes I wish I'd never heard that word procrastination. It haunts me every day of my life. Yes, I am one of those and most of the time I am not very proud of it. I have shoved so many things onto the back burner that the stove tipped over a long time ago. And to make matters worse, I'm married to one who is far worse than I can ever be as far as procrastinating goes.

So when you put the two of us together, we're a mess. We do manage to get things done, but not at a decent pace. What some people get done in a timely manner takes us so much longer. But in my case, if the chore or plan I make is something I enjoy doing, trust me ~ it will get done quicker than normal. It's those ugly, nasty things I don't like doing that I would just as soon forget as to do them.

And those would be what you might ask? Well for one, making phone calls irritates the crap out of me. I put them off simply because I don't like making them. No matter who I have to call or why ~ I just hate making phone calls. I can sit on the thought of making a phone call for days before I will actually pick up the phone and dial. And if I get a busy signal? Oh good Lord, that can take another couple of days before I dial again. I'm not talking emergencies here, just your normal calls other than personal ones.

Another major area I procrastinate about is income taxes. If I have ever done them earlier than one week prior to the deadline, I am not aware of it. I do them myself. I hate the chore. Maybe if we were getting refunds it wouldn't be so bad, but we always end up paying. I think this year will be different though, so I am kind of looking forward to doing them. Wow, did I just say that?

Another problem area with me is our accumulation of stuff that we no longer use. I gathered a bunch of it together while I was working yet and we did donate that to charity. A whole pickup truck full of boxes. I had more to go at the time that didn't fit into the bed of the truck, but Christmas was upon us and I needed room to put the tree where some of the filled boxes were. So those boxes went back into the spare room...and they are still there almost three years later. Why? Don't ask me because I don't know why. Maybe the word starts with a "p"?

Or maybe because I went into a funk about my job back then. Not anymore though ~ that heathen actually did me a favor. However, he did not cure me of my putting things off and for that I shall never forgive him. And I can now add that to the long list of all the other things I hold against him. (That would be the boss from hell at my last job.)

So there you have it...reasons for the way I am and why. But apparently I'm not alone:

WOW...

The Colts lost.

The Cowboys lost.


I'm speechless...

I Love Broken Records

...especially when it has to do with warmth. I wasn't really made to be in, around, or near cold weather. And to me, anything 60 or below is cold. But, I was born and raised in the northeast and it's probably where I will stay. I have also pondered greatly over my lifetime why my parents ever had the audacity to have me in this part of the country. Why couldn't they have had me in the south somewhere, or maybe Texas even, or Hawaii for that matter? But Pennsylvania? Ugh.

Sorry, I got off the beaten track there. Getting back to the records: on Monday we broke a record by 2 degrees and we enjoyed 63 degree weather. It was supposed to get warmer on Tuesday. The record for that day was 67 but we only got as high as 65. This warmer weather really spoils me. Who wants to go back to 10 degrees and below? With winds and nasty dampness thrown in?

I will settle for one good snow storm, because we haven't had any of those since I no longer have to drive a great distance in them any more. And when I say one good snow storm, I'm not talking about a few inches, or say around 10-12 inches either. No...I am talking about twice that amount ~ like 20 plus inches. Now THAT would be a good snow storm. And then it can all go away and Spring would magically show up with record warmths once again.

Dreamer, ain't I?

He Couldn't Stay Away

Half the NASCAR teams started testing Monday at Daytona. Junior isn't scheduled to test until next Monday. However, that didn't keep him away from the track and being with his new teammates. Here he is enjoying a laugh with Jeff.



It is so good to see Junior relaxed and having no monkey (TE) on his back this year. He was interviewed for SPEED TV even though he didn't get into his car. He also visited his old 8 team and was photographed (many times) chatting with Tony Gibson. I hear Tony was thrilled that he stopped by. He should be.

Junior made a comment about the fact that it is so different being in Daytona this year as compared to last year, saying that he is no longer working at a place where he was the boss's son. He also alluded to the fact that he is not weighed down with any major decisions this year.

And something that made me feel a little better is the fact that Jimmie Johnson said by Junior being there Monday meant a lot to him and his teammates. He said it showed a lot of effort on Junior's part that he is solely committed to driving above and beyond the call of duty. Well I should hope so. And thank you, Jimmie, for finally letting me know that you are glad Junior is on your team.

Now, go get 'em boys!

(I Have No Title)

I recently read a bunch of quotes from Dale Jr.'s sister, Kelley Elledge, where she was talking about both Dale, Jr. and Tony Eury, Jr., comparing last year to this year, and the following really has me stoked for the season to get started more so than ever:

“I can’t imagine that they can’t get into Hendrick equipment and do 50 percent better than they did. Knowing what they did with what they were working with and what they’re going to work with now and how it’s all falling together, I expect several wins – three or four at least. I wouldn’t be crazy enough to say he’s going to win the championship. But he might.”

Kelley would make a wonderful candidate for President of the United States. I am not a registered voter, but if she ran for the office, I would be first in line to vote. Hell, I'd even campaign for her...

Bear With Me Folks

I am having a hard time writing since we started the new year. It might take me awhile to get back into the swing of things. I have bits and pieces of posts floating around in my gray matter, some I have written down, others are just there. Hopefully, I can pull them out and make some sense of most of them.

Meanwhile, just hang in there and I am sure I will be boring y'all to death soon enough.

Thank God testing starts this upcoming Monday. We will finally be able to see something on four wheels flying around the tracks. Dale Jr. will not be testing until the 14th, but I think I can wait that long. After all, look what I just got through since racing stopped back in November. Geez, that seems so long ago, doesn't it?

And soon the Budweiser Shootout will be here and after that we can all settle in to the wonderful sport of auto racing. Bring it on, baby!

Resolutions, Anyone?

If I still smoked I think that my only major resolution would be to quit. Actually I quit in August of '99.

Both my husband and I used to smoke, but like one of our past presidents, I never really inhaled. And the reason I took up smoking was so I would know how to inhale because someone had once given me two doobies. Which I never smoked anyway. I didn't want to mess up my brain more than it already was.

I only smoked approximately ten years or so and I always smoked long, skinny cigarettes. And they were always filters. And some were minty. My favorites were Virginia Slims Superslims. I used to save the UPC codes and got a lot of freebies. Maybe that's why I kept smoking them.

My husband on the other hand, only smoked Camels. I think he said he started when he was around 12 years old. I tried one once and damn near fell off the doghouse of his truck where I was perched while he slept in the bunk. I never tried them again. I'm no dummy and I learn quick.

In August of '99 my husband had a heart attack. They ruled out just about everything possible as to its cause and the only explanation they could offer was that it was due to his smoking habit. He was in the hospital 8 days. Eight very long days. I took advantage of those eight days by smoking as much as I could. I saved one cigarette though for the day I would be picking him up and bringing him home. That was my last cigarette. Honest. I certainly didn't want to smoke in front of him when he no longer was allowed to do so. Plus he was scared to do so.

And so, to this day neither of us can tolerate smelling second-hand smoke. I am so glad that the majority of the restaurants in our area are smoke-free. It's a nasty, smelly and very expensive habit. One that I am certainly glad I gave up cold turkey.

Hello 2008 ~ I Thought You'd Never Get Here

I Just Couldn't Stay Away

I wasn't going to post anything until the new year, but I decided to do one more for the good times. Did I say good times? Sorry, that was a mistake. It won't happen again.

What I'd really like to talk about is the fact that I don't feel so bad anymore now that Christmas is behind me. Also, after reading a lot of other peoples' blogs about the same subject makes me feel even better. I am not alone as far as not getting all excited over that holiday. I simply can't let myself get all bent out of shape shopping and carrying on with decorations and all that stuff that goes with it. Only to have to undo it anyway.

I don't mind decorating if I have help. But I always end up lugging everything up from the basement, putting it in its proper place, and then packing it up and lugging it downstairs again. Oh, and decorating the tree? You guessed it...my job. We decided not to have a tree this year. I just didn't feel that these two cats are ready to appreciate a tree. Meaning, look but don't touch. Maybe next year they will be more settled down. They are just babies yet so I can't fault them for doing something that comes naturally.

(I would like to interject here that when we cook outside on the grill, that used to be my job too. I always thought men enjoyed doing that. We will no longer be grilling our food outside. I finally put my foot down. My husband doesn't know how to grill on a barbecue. Good God...it's not that hard. He has never done it in his life. What I would like to know is, how I ended up having to do it in both my marriages, and my husband has never done it in both of his marriages. Do I have a sign on me that says "I grill, you don't have to"?)

This is the last day of 2007. I don't like odd years and that is why I am so looking forward to 2008. I don't do things of importance in odd years. My first and second marriages were in even years. I graduated in an even year. Both my husband and I were born in even years. My daughter, however, was born in an uneven year. What was I thinking?

OK now I am just rattling on about nothing. All for the sake of my one last post for 2007. They'll be better next year, I promise.

Marching Forth

I am so glad that holiday is over and done with for this year. They don't get any easier when all I have left is my husband and my daughter. My two siblings are in a world of their own, and they can stay there as far as I'm concerned. Their loss.

This week is the busiest week for most people. I remember those days. When I worked, I would take the week off from Christmas to New Years Day and it would just fly by. And so I am hoping this one will give me the same satisfaction as far as flying by too. I am very eager and anxious for the new year to start. And for you NASCAR fans out there, especially Dale Jr. fans, I don't have to tell you why I feel that way. A hint: 2007 literally sucked as far as Junior was concerned and it dragged all us fans down too. On the track, anyway. Off the track, he made great gains in his personal life as well as his racing life. And for that I am very happy.

On a brighter note, I can say without a doubt that this was a very Earnhardt Christmas for us. My husband received the Dale Sr. tin with 6 DVDs inside and a Dale Sr. calendar among other things. And for me? All Dale Jr. goodies like three different calendars, a mouse pad, a flag to hang outside, a pocket planner, four tee shirts, and a sweat shirt and sweat pants. Oh, and don't forget all the diecast cars that are on order. There are three 1:24 cars and three 1:64 cars yet to come early next year.

I don't know if I will be posting much before 2008 but if something hits my brain and gives me an idea, you can bet it will be transferred to this site. So don't stay away, just keep checking because you never know when I will get whacked with an asteroid or something.

Good Tidings, One And All!

...And Speaking of Christmas

Since I lost my parents three years ago and I don't have any grandchildren, Christmas isn't a big thing in my life anymore. Therefore, it's not way up there on my list of fun things. I go through the motions like it's just another day.

When I was a child, my parents, myself and my two siblings always spent Christmas day the same way each year for as long as we could. We would visit my maternal grandmother (I never knew my mother's father as he passed away when she was only 14) in the afternoon, along with a buffet spread; we then spent Christmas evening at my paternal grandparents' house where a full-course meal awaited us. My father's father passed away first and that was when everything changed. My grandmother moved to New York to live with my aunt.

I think it was then that my parents decided that we would all celebrate Christmas at their house, starting a new tradition. We all had children and it wasn't too long before our children had children. But when my Dad passed away just before Christmas three years ago, our whole world was again torn apart. And two and a half months later, Mom followed.

My younger sister lives out of state and since our parents are gone, she feels no need to visit anyone here any more. And that goes for her two daughters (my nieces) and their families.

My older brother lives about a half an hour away and he keeps to himself along with his two sons (my nephews) and their families. Yes, I am a middle child and believe me I have always felt like a middle child. It ain't no fun being one either. But that's another story for another time.

Once Thanksgiving has passed, I have always just wanted to hibernate until the next year. This is not a happy time for me, and it probably never will be. My parents were the catalyst that held our families together. Mom loved to cook a big meal and have us all there to gather around the table on Christmas. No longer. Now everyone just goes about their own business and that is so sad. For me anyway.

One bright note I might add is that I do have a daughter and we will get to see her for Christmas.

This is not a pity party...far from it. I have felt this way about Christmas for a long time. I am a Christian but I don't need all the trappings that surround the holiday to enjoy this most wonderful time of the year. The only thing I have liked about the holiday was being with my entire family at the homestead and that's gone now. All I have left are the memories, and that is truly all that really matters.

One of Dale Jr's 2008 Rides

Here is the schedule as to who will be driving the car in 2008 in the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch Series). Mark Martin? Go figure. He needs to keep his allegiance with his new boss at TEI, not stick his nose in Junior's territory. This aspect of the Go Daddy ride irritates me very much.

4/5/08 Texas ~ Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
5/9/08 Darlington ~ Mark Martin
8/2/08 Montreal ~ Ron Fellows
8/9/08 Watkins Glen~ Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
8/16/08 Michigan ~ Mark Martin
9/27/08 Kansas ~ Mark Martin

I'm Back!

The past two days have been sheer agony for me. I was without computer access. And when that happens, you may as well cut both my hands off. I'm not a happy camper at all when that happens. But it's back, I'm back, and here we are chatting away. Having fun yet?

Sunday just a little after midnight I was sitting here typing away, reading other peoples' blogs and adding comments, when everything went black. Boom! Just like that! Total blackness. Yes, we were in the middle of an ice storm, but that wasn't the cause of losing our electricity. Someone chose to skate off the road and slam into a utility pole just up the street a little from our house. I couldn't see because the neighbor's house is in the way, so I have no idea if there was more than one car involved or not. I did see a rollback with a car on it go down the street but there wasn't any damage that I could tell from this side. So it could have been damanged on the other side.

Needless to say, when our electricity goes, everything goes. We heat with electric. My one cat, Junior, sat on the front bay windowsill while I stood behind him and we both watched the flashing lights and activity. Junior was loving every minute of it. But we couldn't see much from that angle and that got boring after awhile.

Eventually we went to bed. The electric was restored around 8:30 Sunday morning but I stayed in bed for a few hours till it warmed up. It didn't take too long, thank God. I can't remember ever being without electricity for that amount of time. My biggest worriment was the fridge contents and both freezers packed full of food. That's an awful lot of food that would have had to be replaced.

I was able to get back on line around 1pm today and I hope this doesn't happen again for a long, long time. I'm not a nice person to be around when I am bored or unhappy.

Sweet Sweet Karma

Shortly after we were married seventeen years ago, my husband was having problems with his 1978 Chrysler New Yorker 300 that he had brought to the marriage. It had 14,000 highway miles on it, as the previous female owner used it on long, highway runs.

My husband took the car to a mechanic that he knew and who was considered, at that time, a friend. We had the part that was needed to fix it. It needed to be calibrated, something my husband was not able to do. Because the mechanic was backed up with work and we didn't need the car right away, we left it with him to work on at his leisure. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months turned into years.

During these years, we made contact with the man as much as we could. He wasn't an easy person to find. And when we did catch up to him, he always had an excuse. We went to a magistrate where it was ruled that he was to return the car to us within the week. That didn't happen. Being the nice people we were back then, we left it slide hoping that he would work on the car and return it to us eventually.

And then one day we found out that he was, in a way, a scam artist. He was selling cars that didn't exist. Ours wasn't one of them as we knew exactly where it was at all times. He had it buried on his rented property with no way to get to it. The mechanic was the only person able to bring it out to us, as he was instructed by the magistrate at the first hearing. He operated an impound business and owned a wrecker. We kept believing he would bring it to us because at that time we had no reason to believe otherwise. Until, that is, we heard through the grapevine what he was doing on the side. Selling cars that did not exist.

By February of 2002 we had enough and sued him in civil court. And we got nowhere. Again. That female magistrate was not even two percent in our favor. The case was dismissed without prejudice. Knowing what we know now, we believe she was always on his side long before we appeared before her. Like giving him leads as to where cars were so he could retrieve them.

In 1997, when he was caught selling stolen cars (besides the ones that didn't exist), he was jailed and was able to post bond. New charges were filed against him and he was jailed again. That also was part of the problem as to why we couldn't find him, but we didn't know that back then.

Meanwhile, my husband's car had by now deteriorated to being not worth a plug nickel. So we pushed it to the back of our minds and tried to forget about it. For us it was considered a lost cause.

A few weeks ago I was reading the obituaries, and it seems karma has bitten that man's ass. Finally. He passed away suddenly in his home at the age of 52.

Karma...ya gotta love it!

The 'Boys Did It Again

Down by six points with 18 seconds left on the clock, quarterback Tony Romo threw to Jason Witten and voila! The Cowboys won their twelfth game of the season.

I may have not seen the game as it wasn't televised in my area, but while I watched the Giants pummel the Eagles, I kept an eye on the Cowboys-Lions score. And it looked bad all the way through till the very last seconds. When the Eagles-Giants game was over, CBS switched over to let us see the end of the Cowboys game, showing the Romo to Witten pass and believe me it was a glorious thing to watch.

You must remember...I'm not a Cowboys fan per se, but I do follow T.O. and since he is on that team, it's only natural that I pull for them.

By winning Sunday, they clinched the NFC East title for the first time since 1998, and they are now 12-1. I'm hoping by season's end they will be 15-1. Nine times out of fourteen games this year the Cowboys have come from behind, and nine times out of fourteen games they have given me heart failure. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Open Letter To Brian France

Are you kidding me? How can you sit on your royal NASCAR a$$...oops, I mean chair, and say the TV ratings were not good due to Junior not being "competitive" and he "didn't win any races"?

Wasn't it just a few years ago (2005) that you said NASCAR didn't need Dale Earnhardt Jr or Jeff Gordon to be in the Chase to make it work? That just because those two drivers weren't in the Chase, everything would still be OK? When did you change your mind about that? Huh? I'd like to know.

Are you nuts? Or were you just born that way?

And by the way, Mr. France, if you want to point fingers and put the blame on anyone go talk to the so-called owner of DEI. I'm sure she and her cronies can confuse you with their excuses even more so than you already are.

********************

I know the content of the above letter is old news, but the more I thought about it the more I got disturbed about it. Just why does he think that the burden of NASCAR's failings should be put solely on Junior's shoulders?

We all know Dale Jr didn't win any races in 2007, but to say he wasn't competitive is plain BS. I watched every race of the season and to my knowledge, Dale Jr drove his heart out every week. And if anyone else wants to say he wasn't competitive, then come see me and we'll discuss it a bit further. OK?

The Hendrick Boys of 2008

I Need Help

They are looking for the fuzzy, and it's right behind them. These are the two munchkins I need help with.

This is the second Christmas for our cats. Because they were only five months old last year, we didn't have a tree in the house.

We are thinking about putting one up this year (live one only) but we don't know how to keep the cats away from it, or out of it for that matter. There is no place to put a tree that we could close that particular area off so they could not gain access.

If anyone out there has any suggestions, please leave a comment. Thanks.

Just Turn Him Over To Me

Yuck and Double Yuck

It is currently 27 deg. and dropping fast. Snow is coming along with a lot of other little surprises. My bones are frozen just thinking about it. The snow is supposed to start at 4 am Sunday and continue till midnight. However, the accumulation is only 1-2 inches. Big deal! Why bother? If it's going to snow that long, then have the balls to really pile it up and not be so anorexic about it.

The nasty part is what follows that snow: sleet and freezing rain (what's the difference?) finishing with a quarter inch coating of ice. And then after midnight Sunday it is supposed to change over to rain ending with sunrise Monday. Ah, there is a bright side: sunrise. That means Monday should be decent. We have a doctor's appointment to go to; otherwise I wouldn't care what kind of weather we get.

So I am going to batten down the hatches now and try to find a warm spot. I know, just follow the cats because they know where all the warm spots are.

Dale Jr's Drive For Five

Congratulations to Dale Jr for winning the Most Popular Driver Award for the fifth year in a row.


Here he is giving his acceptance speech this morning:

This photo is from another year (perhaps last year?) showing what the award looks like:

Slowly But Surely

Rest In Peace, Sean

Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins player who was selected for the prestigious all-star game last season, died this morning after being shot in his own home.

The 24-year-old passed away after nearly six hours of emergency surgery last night to repair a severed artery in his upper leg.

Police were investigating an apparent break-in at the player's Miami home that resulted in Taylor being shot in the leg.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Somehow I got through my first weekend without a race. This is really bad. There are 75 days till the Budweiser Shootout on February 9th. I know I'll make it, but sometimes it seems so far away. Eleven weeks. I cannot wait to see these babies on the track:



Dale Jr. will be driving the blue National Guard #88 Chevy in the Shootout, and the green Amp Energy #88 Chevy in the Daytona 500.

****************
Every year I count backwards from the Shootout and mark one of my calendars that tells me how many days are left. Most people look forward to the Daytona 500, but my race season starts eight days earlier with the Bud Shootout and the festivities leading up to the 500 itself.

You'd think because I don't have to work that those weeks will go by slowly but I guarantee you they won't. And the older one gets, the faster they go. So no problem there. But it seems so far away. Yeah, I know I said that earlier, but it really does. For me, I think the biggest hurdle is getting through the Holidays. One down and two to go, with Christmas being the worst one. If only I could go into hibernation...

****************
The Cup banquet will be on TV this Friday (9:00 PM ESPN Classic) but Junior won't be on stage. Oh, I'll watch it, but my heart certainly won't be in it. And I do hope the show won't be as silly as last year's was. It seems they get worse every year. Who the heck writes that stuff anyway? Oh yeah, probably Brian France, no?

Robert Williams ~ Scam Artiste

The only purpose of this post is to get it out amongst those looking for information on Williams and cannot find it anywhere else other than using a search engine to get to here. I have written about him on three separate occasions but those were captioned with his business names, XxtremeStuff and Xtreme Racing Diecast among others. I felt I had to get one out there under his personal name too.

This character is one of the most sought after persons in that he has stripped quite a number of people out of their hard-earned money.

A hearing against him on November 5th was postponed until November 15th. They only got half way through and the remainder of that hearing has been set for December 13th unless it gets changed.

Anyone who paid for something and received nothing except excuse after excuse and lots of grief from Williams (and I know there are a lot of you out there), please contact Atty. A. Yarbrough at Andyy@netease.net (tel: 931-676-7993) and tell him your story, as he needs all the ammunition he can get against him.

A Wish For My Readers

Nestaevavoomatse #8 Bud Chevy

That's Cheyenne for good-bye. I could have made it easier and said Tok'sa which is so long in Lakota (Sioux). And of course, there is always auf wiedersehen, adios, adieu, hasta la vista, au revoir, aloha, arrivederci, farewell, so long, good bye...

What am I talking about? Well, the time has come to say good bye to the red #8 Bud Chevy that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has driven ever since he left the Busch series and came to the Cup series. He ran 5 races in 1999 in it, and then entered his rookie year in 2000, so it's been his car for 9 years.

Take a bow, buddy, you've given us many happy moments.



Am I going to miss it? Yeah, maybe for awhile...until I lay my eyes on that green #88 Amp or the blue National Guard Chevy next year on the track. Then that red #8 Bud Chevy will be a distant memory.

So out with the old and in with the new and on to bigger and better things, Mr. Earnhardt. The season is over and it's time to look toward 2008. JR Nation is behind you 100% and, as usual, we will be watching every move, hanging onto every word, until you win your first race for Hendrick Motorsports. Hopefully that will be in Daytona.

****************

After all was over and done with, this is what Dale Jr. had to say:

"It's been hard, man. This whole year's been hard, and I don't ever want to do it again. I just want to get happy. I want to get to where I'm in a good place and get to where I can run well and win races like I know I can, get around good people, quit having to deal with jerks and just set myself apart and get right.''

Revelation 1:8

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Translation from The Living Bible:

I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the Ending of all things, says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, and was, and is coming again!

**********

And so shall Dale Jr. have a beginning and an ending. After today's race at Homestead, he will be ending his tenure with his father's company, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and beginning his new job with Hendrick Motorsports, where he will be welcomed with open arms.

And all I can say is "Teresa, you lose. He is your beloved husband's son and for the life of me, I don't know how you could do to him what you did." Because I do believe in karma.

Something To Look Forward To

If and when things go sour for Dale Jr in Sunday's race, I always have the above to draw back on. (Just add another 8 to the one that's up there.)

And this is what we all have to look forward to:

New Zoo Revue

When I was a wee little lass, my parents used to take my family to what was then called the Trexler Game Preserve. It was founded by General Harry C. Trexler. When he died in an auto accident in 1933, the county I live in took it over on the direction of the General's will. Colonel Trexler was a very generous man, and the legacy he left is still going strong all over the Valley.

By 2004, the county was "getting tired" of running the Preserve using the excuse that it was costing them too much money. They all but threw it to the curb. However, on March 31, 2006, the Lehigh Valley Zoological Society assumed management. Many changes have been made since then; however, the American Bison and the elk (wapiti) herd still remain, albeit smaller than ever. In the beginning, there were 98 bison, 78 elk, and 269 Virginia deer in the collection, and they were allowed to roam all over the 1200 acres.

The zoo wasn't added until 1974 taking up 25 acres. By then the bison and elk herds were contained within smaller areas. However, the deer remained free to run anywhere they wished.

Last Monday when I went outside to feed my feral cats (some of them do let me touch them, others run), I thought to myself that the day seemed to be a nice day to take a ride somewhere. Ever get that feeling? I had wanted to visit the zoo during the summer, but we just never got around to it. This seemed like the perfect day.

After turning off the main road and traveling for some distance, this is the scene you are faced with just before rounding the corner to the parking lot and entrance. Do you see that tree all by itself up there by the skyline? Remember it.

Here's another spectacular vista before the entrance.

This scene was taken from the parking lot. These three particular trees just blew me away with their beauty.

When there was a discrepancy as to what the proper admission price was, we decided to forgo the trip inside the zoo itself and opted to just ride around outside. We were not denied the spectacular beauty of both flora and fauna. Here is a herd of elk lounging on a hillside. The bull and his harem. He doesn't know how lucky he is...or maybe he does. This photo could have been brighter, but it is in the shade and the day was kind of wishy-washy as far as the sun wanting to stay out or go in and it was kind of late in the day.

And then we came to these guys...they take my breath away. This has to be my all time favorite wild animal that has ever graced this earth. I absolutely love the American Bison and I abhor what our forefathers did to them when they almost wiped them out ~ just so they could try to force the Indians to die out. And that, folks, is a whole 'nother story right there, so don't get me started.

Aren't they majestically beautiful? Or beautifully majestic? No adjective I can think of really captures the magnificence of the American Bison. (Some people like to call them buffalo.)

Just look at this dude...
I must add here that before we got to the elk and bison, we had to cross the creek by driving through the water. I remember when I was little, that was always one of the highlights because my Dad would stop the car and we'd get out and play in the water.

OK, remember when I told you about that tree way up high? These next two photos were taken from that vantage point. Like I said earlier, the sun wasn't very cooperative. This photo I used the zoom lens (which isn't all that great). This is looking down at the entrance of the zoo itself.

And this is a panoramic view of part of the park and the surrounding hills and valleys.

I apologize for it being so much bigger than the others, but Blogger gave me a problem while trying to upload it and I had to do it through my Photobucket album.

Just Not Meant To Be

I hold my breath as each race unfolds, waiting and wondering just if and when Dale Jr. will be graced with the bad luck that has been dogging him all season. So when it happened in Phoenix yesterday, I really wasn't all that surprised, or upset for that matter. I have become numb to the happenings of the red #8 Bud car. Nothing surprises me and nothing upsets me anymore.

So now we are down to one race left in the season. I hold absolutely no hope for Junior to do well at that race either, as he has never won at Homestead. His best finish was 13th in his rookie year back in 2000.

After Junior 'took himself out' of the race, I switched over to the ball games and watched the Eagles beat the Redskins. Not the outcome I had hoped for, since the 'skins are Junior's team. While listening to the race on my headset, I then watched the Cowboys play the Giants on their turf.

And like I said last week: "Oh well, at least the Cowboys won." I can always count on them to liven up my Sundays these days. (T.O. had 6 catches for 2 TDs)

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

Does anybody else out there think Rusty Wallace and his son, Steve, are a joke?

Rusty and his mispronunciation of drivers' names and his ad nauseum phrase "That's for sure" drive me insane when it's almost impossible to tune him out. And not to mention how blind he is when it comes to his son's driving ability. Every blessed week this year he has either hit someone or vice versa. That boy must have cost dear old Dad a fortune by now.

And I understand Steve has an unbelievable temper which apparently no one has been able to tame down yet. Many have tried...including Uncle Kenny, but he was really at his best a few weeks ago when NASCAR parked his sorry butt for the remainder of the race.

I would think by now he would have gotten the picture and realized that by acting sane he can get so much farther. He's like a loose cannon week after week. And every week I watch him in the Busch series, I think maybe this is the week he's going to be a good boy and just race with his head and not his temper. He has failed me every week.

At least it gives me a good reason to watch 'cause I know he won't let me down in the idiocy department.