It's New Years Eve.

I'm going to try to stay awake until at least 10:00.

If I make it till midnight, it will amazing.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

The freakin' Bruins managed to give up a freakin' two goal lead and then freakin' lose to the freakin' Devils in a freakin' shootout this afternoon.

I was more than a little pissed and my wife actually looked up and asked me who I was talking to. I told her I was talking at the TV because the Bruins just shit the bed.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

I'm going to go make a fancy New Years Eve dinner and then try to stay awake.

You can view these links:

• There are a lot of old mines in Pennsylvania so I suspect this is not uncommon.



• Attention Alanis Morissette: This is ironic.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Day.



• This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?

They are now 2 points behind first

The Bruins won last night and they are now 2 points behind the Capitals and 1 point behind the Blues in the NHL. Their next game is tomorrow in New Jersey against the second-to-last place Devils.

The Bruins really need to keep winning and the Capitals need to go into a slump. The Blues could stand to lose a few games as well.

⧫

As for the Patriots, they are now scheduled to play the Titans this Saturday at 8:15.

The Titans are not an easy team to beat and the Patriots stand a pretty good chance to going on vacation this Sunday.

If they do defeat the Titans, they will either take on the Ravens or the Chiefs. I think it's the Chiefs but don't quote me on that. I'm not really paying a lot of attention to the seeding.

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Yes, my head cold is still there. Thanks for asking.

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I'm going to go pop some more Nyquil and fall asleep earlier than I normally do.

While I do that, you can click on these:

• No thanks. I'll pass.



• Why not. They're banking everything else these days.



• As if New York City weren't shitty enough, now the buildings are trying to kill you.



• For the record, I've been to California many times. California is a crappy place to visit. I would never want to live there.



• Key phrase in this story: "...1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass..."



• Canadian researchers are actually contributing to the betterment of our society.

Well, that kind of sucked.

The Patriots managed to lose to the Dolphins this afternoon. I wrote yesterday that I did not expect them to win by 20, as all the "experts" predicted but I did expect them to win. Unfortunately, the Dolphins had other plans.

So now the Patriots are now the number 3 seed and are forced to play in the wild card round next weekend.

I have no idea who they will be playing.

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Yes, there is hockey and I really hope the Bruins beat the Sabres tonight.

I need one of the teams I root for to win today.

⧫

So I have a nasty head cold going on right now. I blame my nieces kids.

On Christmas eve, we spent 4 or 5 hours with a bunch of little kids and at least two of them had some kind of snotty thing going on.

Two days later and I started up with a runny nose.

Three days later and I went to my brothers house toting a pocketful of kleenex.

Here I am four days later, popping Dayquil & Nyquil like candy and carrying an entire box of kleenex around with me.

I hate having a head cold.

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While I watch the remainder of the Steelers game and then watch some hockey, you can click on these:

• Texans: Don't mess with them. Even when they are at church...



• Key phrase in this story: "And we're like, oh dear."



• In case you were wondering, the Australians are a little crazy.



• Disney - It's the Happiest Place On Earth.

And the parties continue

This afternoon was Christmas at my brother's house with all my siblings & spouses, my children and their children plus all the spouses/girlfriends/boyfriends. It was a good time and, as usual, I ate too much.

One of these days I will go to a party where I don't eat too much.

⧫

The Bruins beat the Sabres last night and while they are in third place in the league, they are now only 1 point behind the Blues and 4 points behind the Capitals.

They seem to be working their way out of their slump and that means they have a pretty damned good chance of picking up those 4 points and then moving in to first place in the league.

First place is always a good place to be.

Their next game is tomorrow at 7:00 against the Sabres but this time, they are at home. I'm hoping for a repeat of last night.

⧫

Football will be played tomorrow at 1:00 with the Patriots hosting the Dolphins. The Patriots are expected to beat the Dolphins by at least 20 points.

Personally, I expect them to win but I'm not sure they'll win by 2o points.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

⧫

Here are some links to click on:

• This is what is commonly referred to as "first world problems".



• Sometimes Trump is a bumbling idiot, sometimes he does the right thing.



• Yes please!



• This is the best reason to not have cameras inside your house.

There is hockey tonight

When I was younger, I never spent a lot of time watching sports.

I played sports all the time but other than baseball, not in any organized fashion. It was always neighborhood pickup games of hockey, baseball or football. I played organized baseball with the parochial schools when I was a little kid but once we moved into Wilbraham, I stopped the organized stuff because the neighborhood stuff was more fun, we could play it on our own schedule and we didn't have adults telling us how to play a game.

As I've gotten older, I find that there is very little on television that appeals to me anymore so I have gravitated to watching the sports I used to play as a kid. I find it way more interesting to watch someone shoot a puck at 100mph into an opening about the size of a dinner plate than I do watching someone try to get a date or win a singing competition or decorate a house or whatever else they are running on reality television.

Also, since I managed to break both my arms, several of my fingers, my nose and a few toes playing sports over the years, I find it a lot less painful to watch than to play. I'm old and I don't heal like I did when I was a kid.

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Here are some links to entertain you:

• Newsflash: Candles cause fires. Also, sky is blue and bears shit in woods.



• To quote Dean Wormer: "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."



• Too bad his name wasn't Andy Defresne.



• Man, Kevin Bacon has really let himself go.



• Are they sure it's not because of exploding butt fears?

Man, I can really feel those days getting longer.

We have picked up one additional minute of sunlight since December 20th.

Break out the SPF50 suntan lotion!

⧫

Around this time last year, I providing some comparisons to help us understand the difference between 1 million and 1 billion. I want to do it again this year because the media keeps giving us stories like this:

Massachusetts Legislature passes $43.1 billion state budget for fiscal 2020

To be clear, $43.1 billion is a shitload of money. How much you say? Well let me tell you....

Most of us have a pretty good handle of what 100 is. We've all seen 100 of something. 100 pennies is $1.

Working from there, we can pretty much recognize what 1,000 of something is. Chances are pretty good that we've all seen a thousand of something. 1,000 pennies is $10.

Here's where things get fuzzy. Most of us have never seen 1,000,000 of something. We don't have a mental picture of a million. We also do not have a mental picture of a billion or a trillion.

Here's a little something that might help you with the differences between thousand, million, billion and trillion:

100 seconds is 1.6 minutes.
1,000 (thousand) seconds is 16.6 minutes.
1,000,000 (million) seconds is 11.6 days.
1,000,000,000 (billion) seconds is 31.8 years.
1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) seconds is 31,800 years

Remember that when you hear some politician talking about a billion dollars like it was nothing.

⧫

There is no hockey tonight, anywhere. The Bruins play the Sabres tomorrow at 7:00.

There is no football tonight, anywhere. The Patriots play the Dolphins on Sunday at 1:00.

There is no baseball tonight. Pitchers and Catchers don't report to spring training camp until February 11th and the first game isn't until February 21st when the Red Sox play there traditional first game against Northeastern University.

This means I really need to find something to watch in the evenings.

While I do that, you can do these:

• Yes, drugs were involved. Lots of drugs.



• Key subheading in this story: "American continues to lead - and to innovate."



• This is what happens when politicians hamstring the police and end things like "stop and frisk".



• Key phrase in this story: "We're all about answering the important questions..."



• Key phrase in this story: "Because who's going to believe that I hit a catfish..."

Merry Christmas everybody!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

I was raised by an extra-catholic woman so I was brought up to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

The world, however, has changed and we now live in a world where that statement can be seen as exclusionary. Since I am known for my  sensitive to the feelings of people who are offended by everything, including things that have no effect on them, I want to make it clear that I would never exclude anyone from my expression of good tidings.

So, let me just add:

To my jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah.
To my black friends, Merry Kwanzaa.
To everybody else, Hey! How's it going? Have a nice day!

I think that covers it. If you continue to be offended by my writings, then let me just say that you should go read someone else's website, you hopeless putz.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

I'm going to go do Christmas stuff now.
You should also go do Christmas stuff.
Or not.
It's entirely up to you.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Let the celebrations continue

It is Christmas Eve so I have things to do and family to see.

I'm betting you do to.

Have I mentioned that I am on vacation?

The college is closed so I am on a very nice 10 day vacation.

I may have mentioned this already but in case you didn't catch it, I really like working there.

⧫

The Bruins take on the Capitals at 7:00 this evening.

They are still slumping, having won only 2 of their last 10 games and this is a key game for them.

They are 6 points behind the league-leading Capitals and 1 point behind the second-place Blues. A win tonight would put them 4 points behind the Capitals and assuming the Blues lose to the Kings at 10:00 tonight, 1 point ahead of them.

I realize this is a lot of "ifs" but what the hell, you gotta have some faith that the team you follow is going to overcome its problems and turn itself around.

I'm hoping for a Stanley Cup at the end of this season...

⧫

I need to get some flying time in.  Hopefully that happens in the next week or so.

While I watch the hockey game and contemplate some flying time, you can visit these links:

• We used to call old Christmas trees "green gasoline". You ain't seen nothing until you've seen one of those things go up in flames. It happens so quickly, it's a small explosion.



• Turns out somebody erased the paint off those old Roman and Greek statues.



• Not sure what they are going to do about it.



• Moral of the story: Don't steal puppies.



• Good job Mr. Unnamed Postal Worker.



• Some kids aren't very bright.

And they're home

The vet student and the small emergency backup dog arrived home this afternoon. They will be with us through the holidays before returning back to her studies.

It's always very nice to have them home, even if it's only for a brief time.

⧫

The Bruins managed to lose in overtime, again.

They really need to get out of this slump because the deeper they dig that hole, the harder it will be for them to get out of it.

⧫

Here are a few links:

• I'm betting that alcohol was involved.



• This seems like the kind of thing that would happen in Kansas.



• Key phrase in this story: "The woman who was left can be seen in the video running after the getaway car."

There is football and hockey on a Saturday!

Thankfully the Patriots game started at 4:30 and the Bruins game doesn't start until 7:00. I may miss a few minutes of the first period and I'm okay with that.

As for the Patriots, they are currently tied with the Bills 10-10 at the half.

Brady is actually throwing the ball to the receivers instead of at the receivers feet or over the receivers heads.

I'm hoping the second half goes the Patriots way and the Bills fall apart like they usually do.

After that, I'll be hoping the Bruins have come out of their slump and kick the crap out of the Predators. It would be nice to see them win a game in regulation and grab two points.

⧫

Have they stopped talking about the impeachment thing yet? I haven't been paying attention to the news because I'm sick of watching all the politicians having apoplectic fits over this.

This is all going to come to a head during the election next year. Either Trump is going to get re-elected and the democrats are going to have a full-on meltdown and storm the White House or a democrat is going to get elected and Trump will claim it was a rigged election and refuse to leave office.

It's going to be great to watch as long as it doesn't turn into a shooting war.

⧫

Here are some links you can visit if you want:

• Key phrase missing from this story: "Suspended with pay pending the outcome of her trial."



• If you can't remember the last time you bathed, you are either taking some mind-altering drugs or you are a complete moron.



• Dad has some explaining to do. First to his wife, then to the authorities and finally to all of his buddies at the bar.



• It's the Hap-hap-happiest time of the year.



• Ancestry.com: Solving more crimes than the FBI.

Christmas beverages with the boys

I stopped and had some celebratory cheer with Tommy and the boys this afternoon.

That means you get a limited amount of data from me:

• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, gives you the runs.



• My sister spent some time at China Lake, which is not to be confused with China Grove.



• Key phrase in this story: "I was very shocked to hear that this was an intentional act."

Lunch with the Bills

Today was my monthly/whenever lunch with The Bills (and Jim). These are three retirees from my old employer that I get together with periodically for a two hour lunch and catch up on ailments, children/grandchildren and spouses.

It's always fun talking with the boys. They are good guys and they enjoy reminding me that I have to get back to work. I enjoy reminding them that my retirement account is still intact and untouched.

⧫

I'm going to watch the Bruins play the Islanders. Hopefully I'm going to watch them beat the Islanders.

While I do that, you can do these:

• Itchy Backside would be a fantastic name for a 1950's western movie character.



• Australia - They have companies with names like Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers.



• Is it just me or does she look an awful lot like Ted Williams...



• I thought it was because I am getting old.



• This is what is known as TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome).

Thank goodness for ice melt

I used my snowblower to clean off the end of my driveway last night but there was no way I was going to be able to get that 1/2 inch of ice and sleet off the full drive. So this morning, I spread some ice melt on the entire driveway and during the day, as the ice melt did it's thing, my wife was able to scrape a lot of the ice off.

Over the next few days, the temps are going to plummet and we probably won't be able to get the entire driveway clear but it's better than it becoming a skating rink.

⧫

The Bruins blew it in overtime last night, remaining 5 points behind the Capitals. They play again tomorrow and they really need to start winning.

And I still don't know why they are losing. They played good hockey last night but the Kings were able to slip the puck past Rask in the final minute of the 3-on-3 OT period.

There is still a lot of hockey left to be played in the season but as I like to say, it's easier to stay on top than it is to dig out of a hole.

⧫

I'm going to find something, anything, to watch other than the political pontifications being aired. Every time one of those loud-mouthed, self-centered so-called "leaders" stands up and starts talking, I throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Enjoy these links:

• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, slowly roasts you to death.



• If you run Windows 10, Microsoft is about to install a new browser for you. If you want to avoid having Microsoft suddenly jam a new browser into your system, this is for you.



• As I've said before, some people are just stupid.



• Only in Florida.

Little bit of a snow day

Based on the forecasts from the weather dweebs, you would have thought there might be 6 inches of snow on the ground by noon today. Instead, there is ½ inch of ice and sleet.

Since the roads didn't appear to be getting any better or any worse throughout the day, the college told us all to go home around 2:00. I left around 1:30, stopped and picked up some ingredients for dinner and was home by 2:15 or so.

All-in-all, not a bad day. Now I just need to figure out what to do about the ice on my driveway.

⧫

I'm going to watch the Bruins hopefully beat the Kings. They beat the Panthers on Saturday, snapping a five-game losing streak and it would be nice if that was the start of a multi-game winning streak.

⧫

My wife has created a dinner and I am prepared to eat it. Then I'm going to go clear the end of my driveway where the plow left me a nice pile of ice. After that, I'm going to watch some hockey.

You can click on these:

• If this happens, it will piss off a bunch of Red Sox fans.



• Well, I guess that's one way to beat the social security system. Good for her.



• I wonder if all the other seals make fun of them.



• Based on what happened during World War II, I would not mess with the Finns.

No hockey tonight

Not only is there no hockey, I don't have any DVRs on my machine.

Guess I'll just have to entertain myself with bad television.

And trust me, the entertainment I look for will not include anything that involves the words "impeachment" or "politics". I've had it with all the bullshit being foisted on us by our alleged politicians and leaders.

They are all lying sacks of shit.

⧫

You can visit these links if you want:

• This, ladies and gentlemen, is what full-blown socialism looks like.



• The last thing any of us needs is an image of some old hippie "surging".



• Yea, right. Let's check back in December of 2020 and see where things stand.



• Meth Underwear Placer would be a fantastic name for a DC comic book character.



• Some people aren't too bright.

They clinched a playoff slot

The Patriots beat the Bengals this afternoon, clinching a spot in the playoffs. As it stands right now, they are projected to be the second seed.

In the hockey world, the Bruins barely held on to beat the Panthers last night. Unfortunately, so did the Capitals, leaving the Bruins still 5 points back in the race to first place.

As for baseball, the Red Sox are working on firming up their infield. They've picked up two infielders and one pitcher. Nothing showy but all three are solid ball players.

⧫

Enjoy these links:

• Presenting the Brilliant Criminal of the Year.



• My brother Mark was stationed there in the late 80s.



• What is it with people climbing into chimneys?



• Some children are simply stupid.

We are now a Disney+ consumer

A few months ago, my daughter asked if we had an unlimited Verizon cell phone data plan. I said, "No. Why?" She said if we had the unlimited data plan, we would get 6 months of Disney+ for free.

I told her that I was not going to increase the price of my cell phone plan by $50 just to get 6 months of access to a streaming service that costs $70.00 a year. Besides, I told her she would be better off spending her time studying for the upcoming board exams.

Well, she finished her exams last Wednesday so today I signed up for the Disney+ streaming service. I figure $70 a year is a pretty cheap price to entertain my family.

Besides, they have all the Marvel movies, all the Pixar movies and all the Star Wars movies. I'll probably spend a lot more time watching that then Netflix.

⧫

The Bruins are going to try and beat the Panthers tonight and I'll be watching them.

They really need to win and get themselves out of the funk they are in.

⧫

You can click on these if you want:

• Personally, I prefer to pack my soft cheese in zip lock baggies.



• Key phrase in this story: "We have chaos."



• Apparently the people of Pittsburgh don't no that we repealed the 18th amendment back in 1933.



• At some point, Pacific Gas and Electric is just going to turn everything off and tell the state of California to piss off.



• It's the Hap-Hap-Happiest time of the year!

And the celebrations continue

Today was our department Christmas lunch and it was a good one. We had an Italian Christmas lunch with ziti, chicken parm, lasagna, sheet cake and salad. Let me tell you, you cannot go wrong with an Italian Christmas lunch. Everyone likes it and there is usually more than you need.

The biggest danger of Italian is that you might get some sauce on your shirt.

⧫

The Bruins are in a slump and I can't figure out why. They are playing good hockey and they are doing all the right things but they just can't seem to get the puck in the back of the net.

As things stand right now, they are still number two in the NHL but they are now 5 points behind the Capitals. It's going to be hard to overcome those 5 points but if they can get back on track, they can do it.

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The Red Sox are starting make a few moves and I'm a little upset that they are not making any noise about Brock Holt.

I like Holt, he is a good hitter and he plays almost every position on the field except pitcher or catcher. He is also a great teammate who can fire up a team when they are struggling.

Unfortunately, I suspect that he will end up getting a nice little 4 year offer for at least $5, maybe even $10 million a year from some other team and the Red Sox will be a little less than they used to be.

⧫

While I continue the digestion of my lunch, you can click on these:

• If Touch of Generator ever runs in the Kentucky Derby, I'm betting $100 on him to win.



• Key phrase in this story: "...a group of Minions hauling ass."



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, scares the shit out of you.



• No, no he doesn't.

We spent the afternoon at the mall.

There is nothing quite like spending time at a mall to put you in the Christmas spirit. The crowds, the cranking people, the road-raged drivers.

It's a veritable cornucopia of joy and delight.

Actually, it wasn't all that bad. I think our timing was pretty good. We got there at 1:30 and left at 3:30.

We found a reasonable parking space with almost no hassle, got a bunch of things purchased and hauled out to the car and then went back in to grab a bite to eat. We found a few more things and we decided to call it a day just as the crowds were starting to build.

We left at 3:30 and the ride home was kinda long. Traffic slowed us down twice but we made it without too much delay.

⧫

The Bruins lost to the Capitals last night, dropping them to five points behind the Capitals.

Tonight they are in Florida to play the Lightning. I really hope they can get their shit together and get back on the winning track.

⧫

You can click on these links if you want:

• Just so we're clear, 500 days is a long time.



• Only in Florida.



• Penis-Fish would be a fantastic name for a really bad porn actor.



• Giant Glowing Dick would also be a fantastic name for a really bad porn actor.



• Surprise!

More multi-tasking.

I have another webinar to sit through tonight.

I also have a hockey game to watch.

I also doubt there will any posting tomorrow either.

I am, in all honesty, kinda busy.

No webinars tonight

I don't have any training tonight but I do have one tomorrow night.

Guess I'll be multi-tasking again.

⧫

The Bruins lost last night but so did the Capitals so they are still 3 points behind the Capitals.

Guess who they are playing tomorrow night?

It should be an interesting game.

⧫

I managed to find a few links for you:

• Key phrase in this story: "...the ordeal took place in Newaygo County..."



• For the record, there is no such thing as a "self driving car".



• He better not sit next to me on a plane.



• It's like a scene out of a bad 1980s Kurt Russell movie.



• Australia.
  That's all I got to say about that.



• I know some people who claim it's the only thing worth living for.

No posting tonight

I am sitting through a presentation on the new FAA/ACS Instrument Rating Checkride.

Exciting Stuff, I know.

Also, there is some hockey being played so I'm multi-tasking....

Sorry about the last two days

On Friday, I stopped and had some beverages with the boys. I didn't get home until almost 7:00 and after I ate dinner, I was done for the night.

Last night was our neighborhood Christmas party and we didn't get home until 9:00. That was too late for me to start webernizing.

⧫

I did manage to catch the third period of last night's hockey game and too be honest with you, I should have just gone to bed. They did not play good at all and the Avalanche ran over them 4-1.

With last night's loss, the Bruins are now three points behind the Capitals in the Eastern conference. They are still in the number 2 slot and they can certainly overcome those three points but it's never easy digging out of a hole.

⧫

As for today, I'm currently watching the Chiefs beat the Patriots.

It's kind of upsetting and I'm not unconvinced they won't come back in the second half but the game is in the third quarter and the score is 23-7 in favor of the Chiefs. The Patriots are gonna have to have a stellar fourth quarter have if they want to win this game.

⧫

While I make some dinner and watch the second half of this football game, you can click on these links:

• Attention criminals: Do not eat gassy food before hiding from the cops.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, might just make it possible to repair severe injuries and deformities.



• Oh Canada.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.

No post

Today was the neighborhood Christmas party.

Yes, I stopped for beverages

No post tonight.

Busy day today.

I managed to get quite a bit done today and still get home at a decent hour.

Sometimes the work gods smile on me.

⧫

The Capitals won last night so the Bruins are once again back in second place. If they win tonight, they'll pick up two points and move back into a tie for first place.

I'll be watching and "encouraging" them.

⧫

Here are some links for you to click on:

• I guess I just don't understand "art".



• Only in Florida.



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, sends you to jail.



• I kinda feel bad for Dave.



• I have a feeling my dog sees everything as cookies, cheese or roast beef.



• Only in Florida.

No snow day today

It was a very nice 6 days off but work beckoned this morning and I was able to drag myself out of my house and in to my office.

All-in-all, not a bad day. I sat through a very boring webinar from Google, then an interesting webinar from the FBI. I also got a start on my year end update to the community.

I try to send out a short security newsletter every so often, just to keep everyone aware of what the bad people are doing and how to protect themselves. My philosophy regarding information security awareness is to educate people on things that could affect them personally. If they are secure in their daily lives, that will translate to them being more secure in their work lives.

Awareness training is a keystone of any information security program.

⧫

No hockey tonight. The Bruins won last night but so did the Capitals. This means they are still tied for first place in the NHL.

I'm hoping the Sharks can beat the Capitals tonight. This will still leave them tied with the Bruins while giving the Bruins a chance to jump ahead when they play the bottom-dwelling Blackhawks tomorrow evening.

Jumping ahead would be nice.

⧫

You can click on these if you want:

• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Key phrase in this story: "Goodwill has the best treasures for $9.99."



• Key phrase in this story: "This isn't one of those stories."



• Australia: What doesn't kill ya, has sex with ya.

Snow Day - The Sequel!

Well, so much for the "2-3 inches" they predicted. We woke up to an additional 12-13 inches.

This is the picture I sent my daughter this afternoon:

It would be nice if they could get the weather kinda right every once in a while.

⧫

The Bruins are taking on the Hurricanes at 7:00 tonight and I'm hoping they play better than they did the other day against the Canadians. They kinda sucked during the first two periods and made a miraculous come back in the third period.

They need to come out onto the ice ready to play all three periods because the Hurricanes are going to do their best to win tonight.

⧫

Here are today's links:

• No thanks, I'll pass.



• Must be a slow crime/news day in Guernsey.



• I guess the 15th house wasn't sexy enough.



• Where were these teachers when I was in high school.



• Only in New York City.



• How do you not see a parked train?

Snow day!

Turns out they closed the college and I did not have to work today. That turned our three day Thanksgiving break into a four day Thanksgiving break. Add the two day weekend in the mix and I just had me a nice little 6 day vacation.

Have I mentioned that working at a school is pretty nice.

⧫

This was an easy storm to clean up after.

I cleared the 4 inches of snow off my driveway at 10 this morning and they are saying we'll probably get another 2 or 3 inches before tomorrow morning. If that happens, I'll go out at 6:00 tomorrow morning and clear it off before going to work.

Hopefully the plows will have gone through by then because the last thing I want to do is come home at 5:30 tomorrow night and have to go clear the end of the driveway.

⧫

The Patriots lost to the Texans 28-22 last night and simply put, it was because they didn't play all that well. I know that a lot of them were dealing with the flu but the problem was that the receivers were having trouble getting open and when they did get open, Brady wasn't hitting his targets.

Having said that, I would like to point out that scoring 22 points against the Texans isn't a terrible game. They probably would have won if the defense was firing on all cylinders.

They are currently projected to be the number 2 seed and will not have home field advantage. That honor is projected to go to the Baltimore Ravens.

⧫

As for the Bruins, after a rough first two periods, they managed to come back in the third period and beat the Canadians 3-1. They are once again tied for first with the Capitals.

It was an interesting game and I'm glad I stayed awake long enough to see the third period.

⧫

If you are interested, you will see some links below this line:

• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• This is probably the most M.I.T. thing you will read today.



• Key phrase in this gawdawful story: "...and sexual intercourse with a dog."



• Another reason to not live there.

Millions in the path!

Once again, the talking heads on the television are saying that there are millions of people in the path of a major winter storm. They make it sound like this is armageddon. Like no one is making out of this alive. Like this is the end-time and we should make peace with our maker because this is all she wrote.

Remember the good old days when the national news never talked about the weather except for hurricanes? Uncle Walter or David & Chet never once told us it was going to rain or snow. They left that trivial weather stuff up to the local peons like John Quill.

And John never had animated weather maps. His map was a drawing of the U.S. that he drew on with a grease pencil, indicating wind, fronts, snow measurements, etc... And he never once talked about radar or made a snowfall prediction with a range of 2 inches. He never said, "We can expect between 4 and 6 inches." No sir, not John. He said things like, "You can expect between 2 and 14 inches, depending on where you live."

We all knew that meant we probably would have school the next day because they ran the buses even when there was 4 inches of snow on the ground. I have vivid memories of sitting in the back of the bus as it fishtailed down Dipping Hole Rd. We had a hell of a ride that morning but we all made it to school and got home safely in the afternoon.

So anyways, it's going to snow but that's okay. I've got no place I need to be and there is both hockey & football being played this evening. As long as we don't lose cable, I should be all set.

I don't anticipate having to clear the driveway until tomorrow morning and I'm not even sure I'll have to do it them. From what they are saying, we may wake up to 1 inch of snow tomorrow morning. That means I'll just have to shovel the top 15 feet of the driveway before going to work.

It sounds like when I get home tomorrow afternoon is when I'll have to use The Beast.

Who knows, maybe they'll close the college tomorrow and I'll have an extra day off!

I seriously doubt that will happen but if it does, I certainly won't complain.

⧫

The Steelers beat the Browns this afternoon, leaving them in the wild card slot in the AFC North. They are currently projected to be the 6th seed and if the season ended today, they would be playing the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round.

The Patriots are playing tonight and they are in a world of hurt. The flu is running through them and as of yesterday, they have 10 players listed as "Illness - Questionable".

The Texans have been playing pretty good football so this will be a real challenge for the Patriots.

I will start my sports evening at 7:00 when I watch the Bruins play the Canadiens. At 8:20, I'll flip over to the Patriots and check in on the Bruins between downs.

It will be a good day if they both win tonight. The Patriots will continue to hold on to home field advantage with a win tonight and since the Capitals won yesterday, capturing sole possession of first place, the Bruins will move back into a tie for first with a win tonight.

⧫

Here are a few links:

• Something tells me this isn't very safe.



• Only in New York City.



• Key phrase in this story: "...he rolled the dice."



• Key phrase in this story: "That common goodwill was there - until now it isn't."



• Just get one of those fake trees.