Someone forgot to mention

Looks like someone forgot to tell fuzzybutt that, at 85 pounds, he's a little big for a lapdog. Not to mention that a white and sable dog doesn't really "go" with black clothing.

bunch of wusses

I'm vaguely aware that there's this big honking football game tomorrow night. Curiosity got the best of me, and I was poking around and wondered where the future Super Bowl sites were ...




Super Bowl XLI, South Florida (Miami)


Super Bowl XLII, Glendale, Ariz.


Super Bowl XLIII, Tampa, Fla.


Super Bowl XLIV, South Florida (Miami)



There's lots of real nice football stadiums around the rest of the country.

Soldier Field is a really nice old stadium
(Tomorrow's predicted high for Chicago -- 4)


Then there's Green Bay
(Tomorrow's high for Green Bay -- 1 -- well it'll be above 0)

How about Minneapolis?? Home of the Vikings
(Tomorrow's high -- -2 -- that's the HIGH of two below 0)

By comparison Indy will be balmy with a predicted high of 12.

So why are they going to Miami???? Where it will be 68 at kickoff??

Bunch of wusses.

But I do hear there's a big storm system headed to Florida.

Rambling's best ever practical joke

A LONG time ago (in a galaxy far far away) I had a friend (I still have the friend, we just live cities apart and rarely communicate but he know if he ever shows up in this town and calls me we'll get some pizza and beer and he and/or his wife have a place to sleep if they want all the kids and noise and such).

Anyway my friend is now a meteorologist (back in the day, he was an aspiring meteorologist). His favorite movie of all time? ..... if you guessed

you'd be right on.

Anyway if you don't know the movie the basic premise is that Bill Murray's character is a meteorologist and goes to Punxsutawney for the festivities. He's then stuck doing the same day over and over and over and over and over.

Each day starts with the radio playing (as the alarm goes off at 6am) "I've Got You Babe"

So - my friend LOVES that movie, so one yaer on Feb. 2 I called him and played the clip from the movie with I've Got You Babe into his phone. And then I hung up. Repeated this for a few days.

He never did figure out who it was -- he had a guess that it was ANOTHER friend of ours (and I'm like "HEY you idiot -- the first call came at 9:00 EST -- which would make it 6:00am PST - and no matter how good the gag is she aiN'T gonna be out of bed at 6am"). (Okay -- honestly I think I was like second runner up -- I mean he knows a lot of really strange people but it does take someone a bit "over the top" to pull that year after year after year).

Next year did the same thing again. There was one year that for whatever reason I was unable to make the calls at the prescribed time, so I drafted some friends to help me.

This went one for something like 8-10 years before I got totally burned out on it (I think he might have burned out a year or two before me.)

HEY -- WM -- if you read this -- I got you babe or at least I'd LIKE to if I ever get the chance.

NOTE: Word on the street is (okay an article in the Chicago Tribune), like Phil, Cloudy did not see her shadow. (I think she would have seen her shadow -- if she had come out of her den - but she was smart enough to stay inside.

I'd like to see the end of this winter.

I'd like to see the end of this MONTH

Some Chicagoans plans for this weekend

Question (see answer below) What's the difference between Cheerios and the Indianapolis Colts????

Some people from my hometown have some plans for the weekend. They hope it looks something like this ...



Personally I don't care. I understand that the host family will have the SCRAPBOOKING room open so I know where I'll be while the big game is on.


Now, to answer my earlier question -- what's the difference between Cheerios and the Indy Colts??



Cheerios belong in a bowl.

(If you don't get it -- call me and I can get you an invitation to the scrapping room for Sunday)

HAPPY CANDLEMAS

It's February 2. The midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. One way or another it means winter is 1/2 over.

February 2 is also more commonly know as .................




MOST of the year, people that get their weather forecast from the TV believe that "pretty people" are spot on meteorologists and believe whatever the "pretty people" tell them about the weather. (Think about it -- in the past 10 years have you seen an unattractive meteorologist? We don't care what a meteorologist knows actually -- can they point at the map and are they easy on the eyes).

Once a year people realize that "pretty people" really don't know all that much about meteorology and everyone turns to the famous Pennsylvanian Prognosticator ...



'cause he's ever so much more knowledgeable.

Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!
Phil's official forecast as
read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:

El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.

Global warming has caused a great debate.
This mild winter makes it seem just great.

On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing.
Will we have winter or will we have spring?

On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today.
I predict that early spring is on the way.

Me -- I think spring will come sometime around March 21.

Stay tuned later today for .......

The prediction from Cloudy Groundhog on the spring forecast from the Children's Zoo at Brookfield Zoo near Chicago.

AND as a special Groundhog Day treat for you, my best ever practical joke.

just a short message

This kind of goes with the Vesuvius post ...

If I were to drive over a cliff today (hard to do in Illinois I know) and if someone were to get hold of my cell phone, it'd be hard for Spouse to get any insurance claims put through.

Two text messages - both sent to Crem

If you love me you will offer endless tea and sympathy and hugs and chocolate. If you love yourself you will stay VERY far away cause Vesuvius is bout to blow

Later, that same day

This day just keeps getting better.

I'd tell myself "cheer up, things can't get any worse."

But I've told myself that before, and discovered that I do, in fact, lie.

just beneath the surface

Isn't this a pretty picture. It's a pretty picture of a pretty "mountain" in pretty Italy and this picture has been taken from a convent (which we'll assume is a relatively peaceful serene place.


Same mountain, some 1900 years earlier.

Sometimes beneath the surface lies fire and fury. And you never know when an eruption will occur.

I wouldn't want to be the person that crosses me today. I'm just sayin.

Jeopardy

Gakked this from Doc Thelma

What would be your Ideal Jeopardy Game categories? Six topics you'd be willing to bet you know way more than average about.

Mine are:

Harry Potter
Kiddie Lit (as in literature -- not as in lighting kids on fire)
Breastfeeding
Show Tune Lyrics
US Geography
Chocolate


Anyone else?

What office supply am I???

I have no idea what this means -- but I took the quiz.

I am: heavyweight (44 lb) cream white laser printable paper stock, for covers on lengthy documents Having the title page hanging right out in the open, when it's more than five pages, just doesn't show the right degree of class.

Which office supply are you?

Hometown kid

Hometown kid makes good. Evan Lysacek is the US Men's National Figure Skating Champion



Two things I can't get my mind around ....

I've watched Men's figure skating (athletic bodies -- form fitting clothing -- where's the downside??). I've seen some very good skaters but I can not wrap my brain around the entire quad/triple combo. Seven revolutions in the time it takes me to blink??? WOW!!!

In order to find a picture of Lysacek I had to dig around. Because on the hometown paper website you'd think you might find it. NOPE??? What about the Chicago papers?? Trib?? Sun Times? NOPE!!

Why not -- because forgoshsake. LAST weeks the Bears won a football game and NEXT week they're going to play another so heaven forbid they take out any of the photo space they have in the papers to report any OTHER sporting events.

ifn you don't mind ...

My friend is trying to get 1000 hits on her tv related blog this month.

Talkin-bout-tv.blogspot

If you want, you can even tell her that ramblingmom sent you.

Hmmm someday I'll post about TV -- but for now just hop over and look at Trina's site.

My parenting advice (worth what you paid for it)

My friend LSM, over at Somewhere in the Suburbs was commenting that her oldest is turning 13, she's got another 13 years until her youngest turns 20, so she's hitting teenagerhood. Here's a quote from her blog ...

Why do I have a feeling that this new phase of our parenting career will be even more challenging than the first stage? So far, I can't find anyone who has raised teenagers who will disagree with me. So, my plan is to hang on and enjoy the ride as much as possible!

I remember a few years back I was talking to one of my friends about this entire parenting gig and she likened it to a roller coaster. (today's picture is brought to you from King's Island, Ohio -- not only because it's likely my favorite coaster in the world -- but also because the name of this coaster is very appropos -- The Beast)

So LSM, and others here's my advice.

1. Hold on REAL tight
2. Close your eyes if you can't handle what's coming and
3. SCREAM real loud when you need to.

Maybe I'll be writing the next parenting manual????

You ever notice how there's tons of books out there on how to parent infants and young children, and so many fewer for teens. Is that because

1. When you have teens you don't have time to read books.
2. When you have teens you don't have time to write books.
3. Ain't nobody figured it out yet.