Some Hockey Talk, just for Slip....

*grin* Well, Slip was right, I DIDN'T mention hockey once in the last post. So I will in this post.

DD's team played against Healy today for the last time. We were short 3 of our girls, who are in Calif. with their older siblings for a tournament. DD was in the goal net. We lost 2-1. That is the narrowest margin we've lost by yet, with Healy at full-strength. DD was thrilled that she's bettered her game against Healy, and wasn't much upset that her team lost, yet again. The coach, once again, gave her Kudos for such a great game played & said that he's going to have to spot another weak-point in her game, as she blocked all but 2 of the many, many shots taken on her today. And one of those two goals was made after the initial shot AND 3 rebound shots! It took 4 rapid-fire shots by Healy to get it through DD's defenses. FANTASTIC!

We've got one scrimmage against the 12U IceBreakers later this month, and then the team's end-of-season party, and as far as we know now, that will finish up the '07/'08 Hockey season. (It's possible, though not very likely at this point, that we may wind up with one or two more little pick-up games added in this month.)

DH, DD and I are all, admittedly, looking forward to this hockey season being over. We're all kind of tired of hockey at the moment (playing & parenting, not watching necessarily).

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We DID NOT move the shrenk in from my Dad's yet. We got the computer room rearranged the way we'd origionally planned, and found out that the computer desk was too big by over a foot, to fit on that wall. It completely covered the only furnace-vent in this room. So, we did some MORE creative rearranging, but found out this morning that the shrenk is 10 inches longer than we thought, and will not fit on the other wall (where we were GOING to put the computer desk). DANG IT! So..... after talking about it, we realized that the only way we'll be able to fit the shrenk in this room and have ANY room for actually moving around, is to get a smaller computer desk.

I feel kind of bad about shelling out the money for a new desk when the one we've got is sturdy & in rather good shape yet. But DH said not to worry about it as I've wanted to inherit that shrenk for as long as I can remember, and since I want it that badly, we'll make the rest work. *grin* I LOVE HIM! I know I don't say it often enough, but it's true!!! He'd rather spend some $$ to make sure that I get the piece of furniture I want, than see me miss out on something I've always wanted to have in my house.

Of course, we found a computer desk that we'd like, and that is actually well within our price range (and is sturdy, and looks nice, if a bit more modern than I totally care for), but wouldn't you know it.... The store is out of stock on that piece. So they're having it shipped up from Anchorage. It should be in Friday or Saturday, and providing we don't find something we like even better, we can go get it at that point. Which means we won't get the shrenk moved in her today, or even probably NEXT Saturday, but the following Saturday.

So.... Connie, it's going to be a couple of weeks before I get a picture of the piece taken to share with you. (And, even when I do, it's in need of some TLC before it really looks good again, but at least it'll be mine to lavish with TLC as I find time & cash.)

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The wind picked up so much that DH's carport is just barely still standing. He doesn't even want us parking our vehicals in them for the moment. *sigh* The lady that lives across the street & two houses down wound up losing her carport yesterday. Even though the thing was weighted down with cement blocks around the legs, the whole thing took off at some point yesterday evening & landed in a tree on the other side of the next house down past that. *shaking head* Ours, fortunately, hasn't taken off THAT completely.

The wind-speed estimates are about 50 mph, though, last I heard. Origionally they were predicting a die-down around 6 pm THIS evening, but now that's been pushed back till at LEAST tomorrow evening. The temp WITH wind-chill???? Back to between -30 and -40. *shudder* Our front door blew open THREE TIMES last night, and once so far today. *shaking head*

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Barefoot Gardner, I did call Human Resources yesterday.... That's how I know that I won't have firm news till Monday, now, at the soonest. *smile* Yeah, it's making me a bit antzy this weekend, not knowing.

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I'm going over to a friend's house tonight for a few hours. I don't know how many of my online friends have heard of Mary Jane Butter's Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook, but she's also got a Farmgirl Forum, and fans of her book & members of her forum are welcome to start their own little hometown Farmgirl chapters. Well, a class-mate of mine from HS started one for Fairbanks & NP, and when I found out about it I asked if I could come. Of course, last month was the first time my schedual has contrived to allow for this, but it was a good bit of fun. Mary's going to try to have a get-together on the first Saturday of every month, at her house for now. And it's just us ladies, no kiddos (except Mary's youngest, who's the only kiddo around who's too young at this point to be sent off with Dad or grandparent or babysitter), no hubbies. We bring something yummy to eat. A handi-craft project to work on; and gab!!!!

DH is going to take the kiddo & go look at Fred Meyer's and W@!^^@rt to see if they can find a computer desk BEFORE next Friday. Then they're going to go Glow-Putt for a couple of hours, and find something to eat without me. Fine by me!

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We filled up my car (complete fill-up) for the first time today. It gets right about 24 miles to the gallon. Which is about 5 mpg than my buick was getting. FANTASTIC!!!! I wish it was still higher, of course, but hey..... Take what you can get. On the other hand, it was $40 to fill it up, still. Fuel has gone up 10 cents since I last filled up, so it's now at $3.15. *shaking head*

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I couldn't help but express my frustration to the sterio last night when I heard a report that our illustrious president was shocked to find out that economists are predicting that fuel prices will rise to $4/gal. this summer. And his supposed arguement that we couldn't POSSIBLY be entering a recession, "this isn't a recession, it's just a slow-down". *shaking head* WHY THE F*** did I vote for this idiot the first time around???? (Yes, I freely admit I made the mistake of voting for him the first time. I didn't make that mistake twice, though.)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... If you haven't started stocking up on necessities, large & small, already..... START NOW! Canned goods, candles, matches, crafting materials if you're so inclined, get yourself some open pollinated seeds & get yourself some gardening space this summer (even if it IS only a couple of containers on a patio or in a window)...... Seriously, don't wait any longer!!!!

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I got into a conversation regarding the same yesterday, while at the craft store. I'd stopped in to buy a bit more crafting supplies (some yarn, some sewing accessories, and wound up with some fabric as well), and started talking to another former class-mate/co-worker (from when I worked at the craft-store as well). She said that she's started stocking up on groceries, and is going to get her Mom to teach her some gardening skills this summer, and that she's really wanting to learn how to knit & crochet but needs to find somebody to teach her. She said she's becoming rather nervous about the direction our economy & goverment are headed, and even beyond the economy, how physically dangerous things could get in OUR region of the USA if the government doesn't find a way to calm the brewing arguements about arctic right-of-ways & resources. Hell, I even heard a comment (a snarky, not-very-nice-one) by a local radio personality yesterday that Canada is starting to question the US's boundaries in the Arctic. Between my friend's comments and the radio-show-host's comments, it struck me just how precarious a situation Alaskans COULD be in!!!! And realistically, not only do we have to worry about a cross-fire between the USA & Canada, but even more so about the USA & Russia!!!

(The show-host's comment revolved around what he felt was the stupidity of Canada to think that they could take on a country as mighty as the US, militarily. Something about the Canadian Air Force consists on a hand-full of Cesna's. The guy's a $$$$ing idiot. We need all the allies we can get, right now, esp. when they're of the caliber of Canada!)

On top of that, I overheard an ironically funny (ie: it was funny hearing how PUBLIC such concerns are getting to be, not the conversation itself) between two guys at the grocery store. One guy (mid 40's) was commenting on how much it hurts fill up his car-tank these days, and how he's trying to find ways to cut down on his driving time. The older guy (in his 60's, I'd guess) said how much this reminds him of the stories his parents used to tell about the depression & WW2, and how he's started stocking up on things he thinks he may need in the near future, and how things are only going to get worse. He advised the younger guy to seriously start working toward the same, as well. And THEN the older guy went on to talk about how blind our goverment is being to the problems brewing for us. I mean, I was listening to this as I looked at a gallon of milk that's now costing me about $3.50 a pop. All I could think of is "and our president says WHAT?!?!?" I can't help but feeling that the guy must've gotten his diploma from a cracker-jack box, when your 60+ year old Baby Boomer is talking to a 40+ year old guy in the grocery store about the same things a couple of late 20-somethings (myself & my friend) were talking about in the craft store. WE can see the writing on the wall, and the goverment can't?!?!?!!

Not likely. The goverment WON'T!!!!! They don't want to admit to the fact that we're tied to the tracks & the big-black-train Depression is barreling down on them, out of control & the engineer jumped off a few miles back.........

A part of me thinks about all this and wonders when I became a conspiracy theorist and a believer in apocolyptal problems. The other part of me realizes that to believe anything less is to be blind, deaf and stupid!

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*sigh* Enough trouble talk for now. I've gotta get heading over to Mary's house.

Have a Blessed Day!