Winter SUCKS OUT LOUD

It's so ridiculous that I have ANOTHER cold....I'm not even sure I was totally over the last one.
But it started yesterday -- sinus headache, congestion, a slight cough.
JA started with it a couple days ago, so I guess I'm not surprised, really.
But MAN, has it gotten old already.

I knew when we had a mild December and January, the other shoe would drop, and drop HARD.
February was brutally cold, and now that's finally done, we're getting hammered with snow.
Over the weekend, we got somewhere around 10 inches of snow, which was WET and HEAVY AS HELL to shovel.
Now that we've just recovered from that, here comes another storm, starting tonight....
At this point, they're predicting 6-10 inches for our area, but that's not even the best part.
Along with that snow will be lots of freezing rain and sleet -- temps are supposed to hover around 32 all day, resulting in snow changing to sleet, changing back again, etc....ALL DAMN DAY.
And just for kicks, we'll be getting high winds too.
Yes, I know I'm bitching.
And yes, I know this is friggin God's country, and this shit happens in winter.
And yes, I also know we've had generally mild winters the last few years.
Blah blah blah.
IT STILL SUCKS!!
My only hope is for schools to be closed tomorrow so I don't have to go out in it.
BUT, I'm thinking that won't happen, with my luck.
I'm SO looking forward to being out in it AND having to shovel all the crap as well, I just can't even tell you.

As far as the Oscars went, I think it was good, in general.
I did okay on my pools -- missed a few, but got a couple upsets.
I called Alan Arkin upsetting Eddie Murphy....but did ANYONE see Melissa Etheridge upsetting all 3 "Dreamgirls" songs??
That was fucking AWESOME!
There were a couple things that pissed me off though (are you surprised?)...

• STOP cutting people's speeches off so fast!! This is their moment, the one they've been dreaming of their whole lives -- they deserve a good 2 minutes, if they want it, even if their award isn't one of the "big" ones. They'll give the Best Actor winner all day, but they'll cut off the Editing guy at 30 seconds....pathetic and shameful. Either make it a show to truly celebrate everyone, their accomplishments and their movies, or make it a fast-paced show more palatable to the viewing audience -- you can't have it both ways. In my opinion, if we've sat through everything, we'll sit for a few more minutes tacked onto the show for people's speeches....don't start playing the music until AT LEAST 1:30 into it, please.
• Why the big push for foreign films this year? Don't they already have awards for those? If the Oscar people are worried about the show going too long, don't spend 10 minutes honoring a guy who doesn't even speak English (watching Clint Eastwood translate for him was painful). I hate to sound small-minded (but I will anyway), but this is an American show and an American institution....give the foreigners a nod (with their own category, which is plenty), and move on.
• Why start it so late in the day? If you know it's gonna be long (which it ALWAYS is), start it earlier....I can't even imagine how the people in the Eastern time zone deal with it. Move it up an hour, and everyone will be happier -- the people on the West Coast will cope and adjust.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

Let's hope this storm isn't as bad as they're predicting....false warnings are good with me.
Cry wolf all you want, weather prognosticators!

The Oscar countdown begins!

I get excited over the dumbest things sometimes.
Why do I get so freaked over the Oscars?
No clue.
But it's like Super Bowl, Part II for me -- lots of junk food, cancel any and all plans for the day, because I'm CAMPED in front of the TV all damn day!
I gotta watch all the arrivals, all the pre-show crap....it's incredibly silly.
Normally, knowing you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
Not in this case for me, apparently -- I know it's ridiculous, but I can't HELP myself!
And it's not like I've seen all the movies....I've only seen a few, like most years.
It's just the spectacle of it all, and I'm an awards show junkie anyway.
But nothing's like the Oscars for me.
I blame my mom, for getting me so celebrity-obsessed at such a young age.
I hope I'm not doing that to my boys.
And to JN, all I can say is thank you for putting up with me....and I'm really sorry.

We just refinanced the house AGAIN yesterday, but we were able to pay off almost all the evil credit cards along with it, so I'm encouraged.
It's gonna cost us about $100 extra out-of-pocket, which we should be able to handle in a few months....but it ain't gonna be easy getting there.
But as long as we get there okay, we should be sitting in much better shape in general.
Damn those credit cards!
If we can live like we don't have them and NEVER use them again, we'll be okay.
I finished our taxes yesterday too, and we'll be getting a little bigger refund than I thought, which will help.
I'm so SICK of dealing with money anymore....thinking about it, worrying about it, planning for it, planning around it.
It's like half of my day, every day.
I sometimes wonder: If we hit the lottery (like I've been praying for years now), what would I do with myself? What would occupy my thoughts/time/energy?
I'd probably obsess about JN and the boys, which wouldn't be much fun for anyone.
Maybe it's a good thing we stay poor, huh?

Happy Oscar weekend!
I have no predictions, but there are three things I'm really pulling for:

1. Jennifer Hudson was un-fucking-believable in "Dreamgirls." I was kinda skeptical heading into the movie (someone else's suggestion for Girls Night Out), and there were times in the movie I thought really dragged, though it was good. But when she belted out "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," I sat there and cried in my seat, in spite of myself. She needs to win on that one song/scene alone.
2. Martin Scorsese needs to win this year. My God, just LOOK at the man's work....he really should have won a few times over by now. This is beyond being the Susan Lucci of the Oscars; he just flat-out deserves it, and I didn't even see "The Departed." I just know. I love you Clint Eastwood, but *enough* already.
   
3. "Little Miss Sunshine" needs to win EVERYTHING it's up for!! I haven't seen another movie like it in years -- maybe ever. It's one of those rare movies that has everything in it....it surprises you, it touches you, it makes you laugh, it makes you cringe. The story is great, the writing is incredible, and the acting is excellent. If you haven't seen it yet, GO as soon as you possibly can.

Well, there you have it.
Nothing like an uneducated, biased list of worthless opinions come Oscar time, right?
And yes, I'll be right there with you, criticizing everyone's clothes/hair/jewelry/shoes/purses -- it's even more fun when you know NOTHING about fashion, like me!
Enjoy!

Great big BLAH

Sorry I haven't posted in a while (Kathie, you're too sweet to notice!), but February has always been the toughest month of the year for me.
Sick of winter, holidays are over, spring's not even remotely in sight, football's over, REALLY sick of winter, tired of the school routine, fuckin' FRIED on the cold, waiting for baseball....
Did I mention I get tired of winter?
February was always rough in Illinois, but up here, it's damn brutal.
In Illinois, the thaw comes in late March....here, you're lucky if the snow is gone by late April. You can't even plant flowers until Memorial Day, if you want them to make it.
The first year we lived here, I was ready to jump out a window as months rolled by, with no warm-up.
Now, I accept it, but it's never easy.
At least in March, I get the NCAA basketball tournament....and Spring Training starts up.
March holds some hope.
February is just one long, gray stretch of cold-ass shit.
And this year, it's been the coldest February in years, which has quadrupled the misery.
At least we're supposed to be seasonal this week, so that should help.
(I'm sorry, but when "seasonal" for up here seems warm, that's just WRONG.)
Just so....very....blah.

We were at my inlaws' over the weekend, which was nice.
God bless my MIL, she actually kept a Xmas tree up and played Xmas music for opening presents!
I hope I'm half the Grandma/MIL she is when I get there.
My FIL didn't drive me *too* nuts this time either, which was a bonus.
They'll be coming our way right after Easter, to see one of SJ's choir concerts.
It looks to be a short stay (only 2 days), which should make life a lot easier on everyone....my FIL isn't exactly the easiest houseguest in the world.
While there over the weekend, JN and I got out to see "Breach" -- major thumbs-up, if that's your kind of movie.

And I do have the Oscars this weekend -- my one ridiculous obsession JN patiently tolerates.
I'll be stocking up on the crapola to eat for Sunday....needless to say, my diet's suffering these days, but not as badly as years past.
I guess that's something to hang my hat on.

I'll try to be in here more regularly, and I'll really try to put on a happy face.
How long until Cubs' opening day??
According to my countdown clock (yes, I made an online clock to watch), it's 1 month, 9 days and 47 minutes....
*sigh*

The good, the bad, the ugly

First, the good -- school was cancelled today! It's so damn cold, it was even too cold for the Eskimos who run the school system....incredible! I appreciated those extra couple hours of sleep, believe me.

The bad -- it's so damn cold!! Right now it's -4, with wind chills in the -30 range....when it's this cold out, the dog refuses to go outside. While I can't really blame her, I'm sick of cleaning up after her -- which means me forcing her outside, while I go along. Not my idea of a good time.

And the ugly -- what else? My Bears. Dammit. Here are my overall impressions, before all the talking heads sway my opinions:

• Rex was awful. Just awful. At times it wasn't his fault -- his line didn't give him enough time, and the play calls were sometimes pathetic (especially that drive with 5:00 left in the game), but at the times he needed to go deep and stretch the defense, he was woefully off. It could have been the wet ball, but that didn't seem to bother Peyton.
• Losing Benson was catastrophic. When the Bears do well, they balance the running plays between Benson and Jones, and having Benson go down early was bad news. Too much Jones is not a good thing.
• That drive at the end of the game was ridiculous. With no timeouts, the clock running, you need two touchdowns, WHY would you throw a 5-yard pass over the middle?? Was that Rex's decision, or Ron Turner's? Either way, that about made me come outta my skin, I was so pissed. THROW IT DEEP -- what have you got to lose at that point?
• The defense was at times flat, and couldn't cover the short, underneath stuff. They kept covering deep, which didn't make any sense to me -- Peyton clearly wasn't going deep in that rain. If they'd moved those deep guys up and covered the middle better (and not stayed in zone so DAMN MUCH), they could have shut down the Colts' ability to get 5-10 yards each play. Where was Ron Rivera there? Already talking to Jerry Jones?
  
• The party at JN's friend's house was fun. I only got annoyed a couple times, and was able to see just about everything -- we missed the last 2 hours of pregame which I wasn't thrilled about, but the food was good, and the chit-chat was minimal. The best part was when Devin Hester went the distance to open the game -- we were all screaming and hugging like maniacs! I almost passed out, seriously.
• The commercials were good, overall. The one that really stood out to me was the Robert Goulet one -- laugh out loud funny, period. There were a couple creepy ones, which was unusual, and most were just mildly entertaining. But they didn't disappoint.
• Prince was UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE!!!! He was even better than I thought he'd be, as I was afraid he'd do all new shit -- but there was plenty of Purple Rain stuff, and even a couple covers from the Foo Fighters (!) and Jimmy Hendrix. He looked great, he sounded great, and the show was kick ass....like Kathy Griffin says, it delivered like Dominos!!
• If the Bears had to lose, I'm glad they lost to Tony Dungy and the Colts....they're a classy team run by a classy guy, and that does take some of the sting out of it.
• I loved hearing Lovie say right away in the post game this is just another step closer to where they wanna be, and that next year they'll be ready. It makes me feel good to know he's not all down in the dumps, lamenting the loss....he's already looking at how to do it better next year. That just kicks ass.

So there you have it, my worthless Super Bowl wrap-up.
The ride over the last 2 weeks has been awesome, and it was all worth it.
What's gonna piss me off now is hearing all the damn Packers fans around here talking about how the Bears "still suck," and hearing all the talking heads patting themselves on the back and saying "I told you so" about Rex and the outcome of the game.
If nothing else, I was hoping the Bears would at least cover the spread, but they didn't.
That sucks.
How long until pitchers and catchers report??

It's almost here!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going *schizoid,* just waiting for tomorrow to get here.
The two weeks leading up to the game seems to be almost as much fun as the game itself.
Almost.
I just hope they make a good showing....the Colts scare me, and I think the Bears CAN win, I'm just not sure they WILL.
But HOO-DOGGIES, is the anticipation fun!
How cool would it be if this was the beginning of a "dynasty" of sorts -- we could do this every year!
Okay, I can't get ahead of myself....we gotta win tomorrow first.

The Super Bowl Dilemma seems to have finally reached a peaceful conclusion, somehow.
As late as yesterday afternoon, JN was still trying to talk me into bringing SJ along to the party.
It never got heated, but I wasn't sure how it would end up, since he had to go before we got it resolved.
But I heard him telling SJ last night that he can watch the game up in our bedroom while we're gone, so somehow he decided on his own SJ staying here was okay.
No idea how, but I'm good with that.
He wants to get to the party earlier than I thought -- 2 hours before kickoff! -- so we're gonna wind up paying the sitter more than I'd like, but I can deal with that.
So I'm looking forward to it.
Will there be a point during the party when I miss something and it ticks me off a bit?
Almost guaranteed.
But I'll be Tivoing everything here, so I may spend a good chuck of Monday rewatching everything.
I'm okay with that.
I can almost taste that Chicago food now....

And I thought it was cold the other day!
The high for today is 5, with a steady 20 mph gale, keeping the wind chill WAY below zero.
And that ain't even the worst....tomorrow, the high -- again, the HIGH -- is supposed to be -4.
Without a 15 mph wind.
HOLY SHIT!!
We will friggin FREEZE going back and forth to the party, but if the Bears win, we may not feel it on the way home!
At least, I'm hoping so....
The high for Monday is expected to be 1 *without* a 15-mph wind chill (I wonder if I can even hope for school to be closed?), but we should have the low teens for highs after that.
I'm sorry, but when 14 looks warm, that's just downright wrong.
Why do we live here again?

Anyway, I'm gonna Super Bowl Shuffle on outta here....let's hope as of tomorrow night, we can officially CROWN THEIR ASS!!
(Thank you, thank you, Denny Green....)
BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS,
MAKE EVERY PLAY CLEAR THE WAY TO VICTORY,
BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS,
PUT UP A FIGHT WITH A MIGHT SO FEARLESSLY.
WE'LL NEVER FORGET THE WAY YOU THRILLED THE NATION,
WITH YOUR 'T' FORMATION.
BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS,
AND LET 'EM KNOW WHY YOU'RE WEARING THE CROWN,
YOU'RE THE PRIDE AND JOY OF ILLINOIS,
CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!

It's neverending....

The Super Bowl Dilemma, which I thought was behind us, now has a new chapter.
JN has now decided that our son SJ should come to his friend's party along with us.
As I knew would happen, SJ is bummed to find out we won't be home to watch the Super Bowl with him, so this is JN's way of making himself feel better.
This idea SUCKS for two reasons: 1) the other two boys will feel bad about not coming along -- especially JM; and 2) I don't want ANY of my kids there! If we're going to a damn party, then I wanna let the obscenities fly and not feel like he's watching me every time I have a beer.
Not only does JN disagree with me, he got pissed off immediately and refused to discuss it.
Now I know he had a shitty day at work yesterday -- he even warned me not to "pick a fight" with him when he got home because he was in such a bad mood. So maybe it wasn't a bad thing that he refused to talk about it, was quiet the rest of the night and went to bed in a seemingly pissy mood.
BUT, this issue is now hanging out there, and once again, I'M the unreasonable one for thinking this is a bad idea.
I'd really like to put my foot down on this -- I feel like I'm conceding to him even going to this damn party, so I would think it's reasonable he concede to me here.
But you and I both know he won't see it that way.
So this Sunday -- with my Bears actually IN the Super Bowl -- could wind up sucking even more than I previously thought.
Unbelievable.
Part of me thinks he's just being argumentative, but I certainly could never SAY that.
I'll probably wind up giving in AGAIN....
Why would that surprise me?
I'm finding myself wishing the Bears weren't in the Super Bowl, because if they weren't, I wouldn't care NEARLY as much.
That's just fucked up.
Again, I'll keep you posted.

On a lighter note, I've got Girls Night Out again tonight (the third Thursday in row!), which should be fun.
We're just doing dinner this time, and it looks like it's just gonna be the 4 of us, which I'm looking forward to. The bigger the group, the less fun it is.
After all that bitching about JN, it is awesome he's letting me go out again -- though of course, he looks at it as he's "FINALLY getting his 'antisocial' wife outta the house," which he considers to be a major triumph on his part.
WHAT THE FUCK EVER.
Even when he's doing something awesome for me, he's gotta sour the taste in my mouth by spinning me in an unflattering light!
I'll stop complaining now....

Only 3 more days until my Bears start Super Bowl Shufflin' all over the Colts!!!!!!
Hopefully I'll be able to watch most of it and maybe even enjoy myself a bit as well.
If I'm lucky.