When your day doesn't go as planned, Karma comes back for forgiveness

I tell you what - when your day doesn't start well, it continues to not go well, but you never know, Karma might come back for forgiveness.

I did not sleep well on Wednesday night.  My alarm was to go off at 5:30 AM for networking, but I was woken by Theo having to go out at 4:30 AM.  At least he is such a good dog to let me know when he needs to go out.

Meetings for the morning didn't go as planned.  No biggy, just go with the flow and ended up getting more done in the office than I thought.

My "hockey game" schedule was screwed up because usually the games start at 7 pm and we need to head out by like 5.  Last night's game didn't start until 7:30 so we needed to head out around 5:30.  I was ready to head out at 5 and then remembered, we still had time.

5:30 and we were on our way to the hockey game in DC when the tire light came on in Dan's car.  We were probably about 10 miles from home. He pulled over on the toll road (dangerous at night), and Dan thought he saw something in the tire (ended up being a rock), so we went to the nearest gas station to check the air/add air if needed.

The pressure on all 4 tires (which we just purchased in October from Hogan & Son) were all good, but weren't sure about making it to DC, so looked up the nearest "Goodyear" on the map since we purchased them on our Goodyear credit card. Thinking if something is wrong with the tire, it's covered under Goodyear.

Started driving and lo and behold, it was the Herndon location of Hogan and Sons! When we were getting closer, I was starting to wonder if it was going to be their location or not, but really wasn't sure at all.

We arrived there at 6:40 PM.  Dan was hoping they could plug the tire (still thinking there was something in the tire), and we would be on our way. Mel, the employee working, was hesitant at first because they still had work to do AND it was close to closing, plus he had never seen us before.  He said that we could leave the car and definitely work on it tomorrow. The whole time I'm thinking, well, there goes the game.  Too late to sell them too.

He did take the time to do a visual inspection and as soon as he asked when was the last time we had service and Dan said it was at Hogan and Son in Leesburg, he pulled the car in.  He thought that it might have been the core of the valve stem on one of the tires and changed that. It still didn't fix the light, so said that all of the the tires were ok and good to drive on.  He believed that all 4 tire sensors went and gave us an estimate.  

I asked what we owed, and he did not charge us anything.  He did ask for an online review.  I guess they had have a bad manager previously and they are trying to change their perception. As soon as he started helping us out, I thought about sending them something from SendOutCards.

We got out of there by 7:30 PM and only missed the 1st period of the game. 

When we got to the arena, we got our food and we were standing outside of our section since there was only about 5 minutes left in the period.  We weren't even standing there for that long, when some guy came up to us and said, "Would you like our tickets?  We are leaving.  They are right at the glass."  I'm like, "Are you serious?  You just made our day.  We were late getting here because of car troubles." We walked over to the section and decided to wait until the period ended.  After the flood of people coming up, we went down to the seats.  Yup - right at the glass. 

We settled in, and the next thing you know, this guy said, "You're in my seat."  Both of us were thinking, "Oh shit. We've been duped. Nope. He just meant we needed to be over one because the seats weren't numbered right.  I tried to chit chat with him throughout the game, but he was more interested in talking to the photographer who was in the aisle.  He was cool though when he did talk to me.

We made it on (national) TV.

I forgot how much I liked the seats at the glass.  We used to have seats there a couple of years ago.  Dan, on the other hand, would rather be up a ways to see the whole ice.

The car is at the Leesburg location today for a thorough inspection, and we are hoping that it's not all 4 sensors!  However, more than likely, it's better to changed all 4 sensors because then next thing you know, the next one will go. Since I know the manager (from my networking group), I texted him this morning and even though he's on vacation, he gave them a heads up that we were coming up.

"The Housewife Tour 2013" - the week (or should I say year to date) in review

Here it is, January 23 and I haven't been doing great on my blog entries.  The days seem to be flying by and I don't feel like I'm getting much done (maybe because they are big projects?).  So, time to catch up on what's been going on.  Entries for the 8th & 9th were typed in on those days.

Tuesday, January 8
The Housewife Tour is going well.  Yesterday was regular errand day - groceries, laundry - things we usually do on the weekend. 

Today started the cleaning.  I figured the best way to start the whole cleaning process - with something I HATE to do - clean the bathroom.  Specifically, the shower.  YUCK!!!

Anyway, now that that horrible task is done, I feel good and ready to do the rest of the house. LOL!

Wednesday, January 9
I've decided to change this up and just do a weekly entry since I doubt this is going to be interested until I actually do a project!

Today has been dreary, but we got in two good walks (my main goal every day!).  I did some (more) organizing in the scrapbooking room and the guest bedroom.  I still had my boxes from work that I unpacked and pulled stuff out of them to put in the scrapbooking room.

Wednesday, January 23
OK - now for the backtracking on our adventures and my projects.

Let's start with the projects.  I think I have finally finished organizing the guest bedroom.  I had so many boxes of photos (framed & unframed), boxes that never got unpacked (from 10 years ago when we moved into our house).  I moved photos and scrapbooking items into the scrapbooking room for organizing (that's coming up next on my to do list).  I have a bunch of stuff to sell/donate.

While I was doing that, I was also converting cassette tapes to MP3 files.  What comes after that - getting them all into Itunes.  And of course, I end of having some user issues.  First I can't download Itunes 11 to our desktop (where hubby does all his syncing).  I had to delete the software and start from scratch.  Then user issue of opening the files to the wrong folder.  GREAT!  DOUBLE TRACKS!  Needless to say, so far, everything is working out ok on the desktop.  We'll see what happens once hubby gets on and syncs his iphone.

The picture of the remaining tape collection. 
The majority of these weren't converted yet when I started the project.

The one thing that I did do that I've been promising to do was convert my mom's PTL Club tapes to CD for my niece.  She was 3 months old when my mom died and now that she is born again,  She is interested in the music.

Wow - what memories those tapes brought back.  My mom used to play them ALL OF THE TIME.  So much so, 2 of the 4 tapes I had were really warped.

Another project - a budget.  I made an excel budget, but really wanted to start using Quicken more.  THAT was a pain.  Mostly because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to show on the report and what I didn't want on the report.  I created a report that shows our budgeted number and what we have spent so far for the month.  Hopefully, I saved it right so I can track the numbers easier!

Now for the Adventures.

On Friday, January 11 I went to lunch with 2 of my former bosses!  We had it planned before the work doors closed on the 31st.  Even though it had only been two weeks since I've seen them both, it seemed a lot longer.

We did something new - When I was growing up, I used to always go to the local RV dealer's open house with my dad.  I used to enjoy checking out the RVs.  We never owned one or went camping.  The closest was "playing" in our neighbor's RV when it was sitting in their driveway.  Every year (I'm not sure how many years this event has been going on) there is an RV show at the Dulles Expo Center.  I've told Dan for several years that I wanted to go.  Well, we finally went (January 12)!  I think Dan enjoyed it too.  One of our bucket list items is to get an RV and drive across country and Dan said that this helped him get an idea of what was out there and what we will eventually want in the RV (We'll probably rent one first to try RVing out).

Here are the ones that caught our eyes:
Winnebago 2013 Vista 26HE
Rockwood MiniLite

That same weekend (Sunday, January 13), the weather was in the 50s and Dan wanted to go geocaching.  We went to Lake Fairfax in Reston to find 7 geocaches hid by the National Wildlife Federation.

The trails were a little muddy because of the rain 2 days before, but not bad.  We ended up walking close to 5 miles and found all of the 7 (there are 8 on this trail passport, but Dan had already found one).  We did meet up with 2 other geocachers and found one of the caches together.  We had already spend probably 5 minutes (because it said do not cross the bridge but didn't say what side of the bridge) and it was on the other side of the bridge!  Lesson - don't always follow the hint!


This was at the one geocache that took us awhile to find.
Somehow, Esa became a water dog and was really getting her paws wet!

Mama & Baby Girl waiting for Daddy-o to return. 
Zed was there too, just not in this picture.

The biggest thing - HOCKEY IS BACK!  Last night we went to the opening night home game.  It was so nice to see hockey back in action even though the Caps lost.

Hubby just headed out to the yearly cottage winter visit to to go play in the snow.  HAVE FUN - I had enough of the snow and cold growing up.  So the next couple of days, I'm a single parent.  But I will have a visitor on Friday - my nephew!

That gets you up to date.  Let's see if I can do my entries in a more timely fashion from now on....

Adventures: AHL Hockey Showcase at Verizon Center

I have been quiet on the NHL Lockout.  I don't know all of the details (who wants what, who won't give, etc), so I don't really comment on it. 

I DO know that NHL will lose alot of fans either way - whether they have some sort of season or no season at all.  The last lockout when the missed a whole season ended in a LOT of fans "leaving".  Needless to say, I miss my hockey.  We had 5th row seats this season for the 5 games we did buy.

Part of the package we bought included tickets to the AHL Showcase that happened last night between the Hershey Bears (the Caps minor league team) and the Norfolk Admirals (Anaheim Ducks minor team).  We got to sit in our 5th row seats last night and FINALLY got to see some hockey!

from our seats (before the game)

I expected the Verizon Center to be full since I'm sure there are Capitals (or even just NHL) fans out there "jonesing" for some live hockey.  Not so - the "Phone Booth" might, MIGHT have been half full.  Sad.  And it's not like Capitals fans do not know the players - 2 of the players last night have been up on the Caps roster.

It was fun to finally see the Hershey Bears.  There were so many penalties - it dragged the game out.  It just seemed much slower than NHL.

There wasn't that much merchandise, but they did have showcase merchandise.  We picked up a puck and a pin (which I will be making into a magnet).

And so my life has changed today (it started last night.....) AKA what happens when the Caps lose in the playoffs

What the hell happened last night? The Caps just didn’t show up. The Caps that did show up last night are the Caps I know and love – inconsistent.


I never expressed confidence that they were going to go all of the way – not that I didn’t believe or hoped, I just knew – Caps haven’t been consistent. I knew it was going to be game-by-game, period-by-period, shift-by-shift.

Last year, we got to the first round. This year, the second round. Slowly, we are climbing back up. Which is fine. Caps are building from the inside – the goal that Ted wanted. We’ve got the talent deep in the system. Now to keep them.

I hope the hockey momentum stays in Washington. So many years, we would go to games and half the Verizon Center would be empty. Now, Verizon is full. It’s crazy! Do all of these people watch or come to the games when the Caps when they are losing? Nope. (Know where I’m going with this??) I’ll save my hubby some despair and not going there….


So, now what – I won’t be jumping on any bandwagon for the next round or for the Cup. I’m loyal to my Caps. I DO root for any former Caps players who do go on. Luckily, I still a few players to root for (Huet (who I think is on the bench), Gonchar (WOOT!), and Cooke)!


As Extreme sings "There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you....." I will continue to be "Rockin' the Red" and be "Caps Beyond Intense".

hockey, house inventory, another movie at the airport, tomatoes, Janet!, and LA

Jun 9, 2008


hockey, house inventory, another movie at the airport, tomatoes, Janet!, and LA
Hockey
This is a sin -

Stanley Cup OK after slight dent at eatery

DETROIT (AP) - The Stanley Cup is OK after taking a tumble during the Red Wings' celebrations in Detroit.

NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur says Saturday the Cup got a slight dent Friday after some players took the trophy to Cheli's Chili Bar, a downtown restaurant owned by Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios.
Mansur says dent was smoothed out, and the trophy was expected to keep making the rounds.
Thousands of Red Wings fans cheered Friday during a parade and rally in downtown Detroit where the Cup was shown off. The Red Wings clinched the Cup on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
Once again – It's about time, hopefully this time it's for good.
Red Wings' Hasek retires after Stanley Cup win
Updated: June 9, 2008, 10:31 AM EST

DETROIT (AP) - The Dominator is done.

Dominik Hasek announced his retirement during a news conference in Detroit on Monday, only days after the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in six games over Pittsburgh.

Sixteen years is a long time in life that has unfortunately gone by too fast," Hasek said.

The six-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goaltender and two-time Hart Trophy winner as the league's MVP leaves on a mixed note.

Hasek, the only goalie to win the NHL MVP award twice, lost his job during Detroit's run to the Cup. The 43-year-old from the Czech Republic was benched during the opening-round series in favor of Chris Osgood and never regained the starting job.

Hasek won 389 games with the Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted him in the 10th round in 1983 and had to wait until the 1990-91 season to get him on the ice. Chicago kept him just two seasons, then watched him become one of the game's greats in Buffalo.

Hasek ranks 10th on the career list in wins, 10th in goals against average, 18th in games and is tied for sixth in shutouts, according to STATS.

He won 65 playoff games - including 16 in 2002, when he won his first Stanley Cup with Detroit - and gave up an average of just two goals in the postseason.

House Inventory
So I was thinking about Buy By Brian's blog (http://www.buybybrianblog.com/). Why couldn't I do that for our house inventory? That might be easier than any software program that's out there. Take pictures of items as they are bought and post the info about them in the picture comment. If I need to, I can scan in the receipt and put in the "photo album". I can save all of this online and not have to worry about getting it out of the house in case of an emergency.

Let's see how I do.
Movie Production at the Airport
I heard last week from the Airports Authority Fire Marshal that there was a movie production going on at the Smithsonian down the road from the Airport, but found out today from him that it was Transformers 2! Anyway, I did a search regarding Transformers 2 and found a blog on the production of the movie. Here are two entries about the production at the Smithsonian:

http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/06/images-from-smithsonian-set.html

http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-pictures-from-udvar-hazy.html

Like I would get to meet any of the actors anyway!

I can get sick from tomatoes?
I'm sure tomato haters are loving this! I'm not since that's about 1 of the 5 vegetables I'll eat! The weirdest thing about this – we went to Chipotle and they had already pulled their tomato salsa because of the Salmonella outbreak. Chipotle is part (or was part) of MickeyD's so why did it take so long for MickeyD's to pull the tomatoes?

McDonald's pulls tomatoes from U.S. sandwiches

By Lisa Baertlein 1 hour, 3 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp said on Monday it has temporarily stopped serving sliced tomatoes on its sandwiches in the United States as health officials work to pinpoint the source of a Salmonella outbreak.

"This is a precautionary measure only. McDonald's has not experienced any related issues to date," the company said in a statement.

The move from the world's largest restaurant chain came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned U.S. consumers on Saturday that the Salmonella outbreak was linked to the consumption of certain raw red plum, red Roma, and red round tomatoes, and products containing these tomatoes.

On Saturday, FDA said there had been 145 reported nationwide cases, including at least 23 hospitalizations, related to the outbreak. The infections were caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon type of the bacteria.

Salmonella bacteria are frequently responsible for food-borne illnesses. Symptoms generally appear within 12 to 72 hours after eating infected food and include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness, which can be deadly unless treated with antibiotics.

The FDA has said that it is safe to eat cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached, or tomatoes grown at home.

McDonald's said it will continue to serve grape tomatoes in our its premium salads.

Earlier on Monday, grocer Winn Dixie Stores Inc said it had stopped selling tomatoes that the FDA warned should not be consumed.

FDA has published a list of tomato producers whose product is not associated with the outbreak. It is available at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.htmlretailers.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein; editing by John Wallace, Richard Chang)

JANET!
The biggest news of the day – Janet Jackson is coming – October 15! I am so there.

Travel
So I was looking at what was happening in LA when I'm there and found this http://www.sunsetstripmusicfestival.com/ ! WOOHOO! BONUS – the hotel is about 5 blocks from the ocean! DOUBLE WOOHOO!

I tried to get Dan to go out there with me – now the tickets are too much. - $659! His lose.

Entry for October 14, 2007

Entry for October 14, 2007.

10/14/2007 02:54 pm
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Yes - this last week has been busy at work - but luckily, all good. Darren is working out nicely - he's a great guy and has jumped right in. It so helps that he's already a Westfield employee and knows how the airports work. It's been like being at a new job again - He's definitely given me a renewed energy at work. So, this last week has been tiring. That plus all of the other stuff going on (girly time and house maintenance stuff).



Now, to catch up.....



Starting with last Saturday -

8 months old

We were VERY successful giving Esa a bath - we were both shocked. All it took was rubber bath mats in the tub and peanut butter. She LOVES peanut butter, so I used it to get her into the bathroom and to keep her occupied while Dan lathered her up (we do this outside of the tub) and then she was so good in the tub and when we got her out and dried her off (more peanut butter).



Class was ok - she was classclown. Just laying and stretching out in the middle of the room. Not really listening. Then, we went to get her nails clipped. BAD TIME.....She HATED IT! They had to muzzle her and have one person hold her and then the other clip. Then at the last one, Esa jumped and hit the lady in the face - she had glasses on so, her face got red from where they hit. The lady was SO MAD. Then Esa's toe started bleeding. They really weren't able to get the quik-stop on it either, but finally it stopped. We were all drained after that.



But, then it was time to go to hockey....We purchased a 6 game pack (Saturday nights only). It was fun - as always. Caps are now 3 - 2 - starting the downward spiral......Dan ordered us new jersey's - He got Jurcina (in red - home), I got Brashear (in white - away) and I got my Zednik Panther's jersey. We should see them this next week.



Sunday, Chrissy & David went to the all you can eat pancake breakfast with us at the firehouse. We haven't seen them in awhile, so it was nice to catch up. They stopped over afterwards to see Esa (Chrissy is Esa's doctor). Chrissy said it's time to start the adult food. So, we've started yesterday with it.



Speaking of the baby - she's 8 months today! Oh - and I've gotten in touch with Guiness's mom on Facebook, so we might have a playdate.



Esa has been going to daycare once a week and loving it. She's worn out when she gets home and is tired the next day.



The day she went this week, we came home and the AC wasn't working - it was 80 degrees in the house! Of course the next day, it was in the 60s, but we still had the maintenace guy come and check it out. Of course, he couldn't find anything wrong! But he did do the fall maintenance while he was here.



So, there's the week. Without the girly details -

Entry for October 05, 2007

Entry for October 05, 2007.

10/05/2007 11:22 am
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0 Pageviews..Caps first game of the season is tonight! WOOHOO! Tomorrow, we'll be going to the first home game (our yearly tradition).



Degrassi's season starts tonight too - what do I watch? The game or the show? It'll probably be tape Degrassi with flipping to the game during commercials.



Besides the game this weekend, we need to give Esa a bath, have her training at 2 p.m. tomorrow and then pancake breakfast at the firehouse on Sunday. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.



We've put off giving Esa a bath long enough - she hates it and almost bit Dan last time. If it doesn't go well this time, it'll be to the groomer's she goes.



Yesterday was an interesting day at work. I had a run-in with TSA employees and dealings with the former boss.



I went to visit the owners of the flower shop that we have in baggage claim. Their area is open where you can walk through the shop to get to a lower level. It's not meant as a cut through though. Anyway - As we were standing there – TSA employees were constantly cutting through the space and there isn’t that much room between the counter and display case So – being the trouble maker that I am - I “closed” of the back with the stanchions that were in the area (I think the tenant use them when they are closed). I also mentioned/asked the TSA Supervisor to please have his employees go around and not cut through. TSA was “meeting” in the lower area so he was right there.





I redirected probably 15 TSA employees to go around and BOY DID I GET DIRTY LOOKS! One guy (twice my size) was RIGHT in my face and basically threatened me saying “Do you really want to do this today?” Of course, I said YES! (I did let him by though! J). He kept mouthing me saying, you don’t have the right, etc., etc., etc. Damn TSA employees think they own the airport! How would they like it if someone walked right through their house as a cutthrough?



That was the first issue. Then when I finally got back, there was a message from the former boss asking if I could send her letter templates that we use. She started off the message "I know I told you you really shouldn't do this BUT....." I had a feeling it would be ok, but checked with the new boss to confirm. Not a problem. Of course, SP called a couple of times before I sent them. We're a person short here - I can't just jump when she asks (don't have to anymore since she's not the boss!) THEN she asked to send a LEASE template! There's no way! We don't even give the lease out to local managers! I called the new boss and confirmed again and he agreed - ask legal for that, not us. So SP seemed to accept that answer when I e-mailed her. She e-mailed that she would call legal, but said that since Westfield puts it in proposals that it's considered public knowledge. Whatever.



So even though SP is gone, she's still calling us for support and we're (or should I say I'm) still dealing with her. I'm excited that Darren (the new boss) is starting next week. We've already talked about "reorganizing" the office procedures (who does what) and hopefully get me out of some of the admin stuff I still do. I've given SM the heads up that Darren will be giving her more responsiblity.

Entry for October 03, 2007

Entry for October 03, 2007
10/03/2007 01:34 pm
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The weekend was busy.



Saturday, we went to an animal fundraising festival (with Esa) and had fun. Got to see our friend's band play and see other friends that we only see every once in awhile. Esa was still recovering on Sunday. She was tired from the outing.



Sunday, time for hockey! We got free tickets sent to us to "get us back" as preferred ticket holders. We always have a lot of fun watching the games - even when we lose and a pre-season game.



This week is flying by. Monday night I went grocery shopping and saw one of my scrapbooking friends that I haven't seen in awhile. I never go to that store and decided to go just because they had a lot of BOGO (buy one, get one free) stuff.



Yesterday it was Esatime - we went for a long walk and then just played in the house. Lost the TV remote yesterday. It was on the coffee table and Esa got it while I was upstairs. I knew eventually that would happen. She just loves the remote.



I purchased our hockey tickets for the season today. We got a 6 pack and have a game almost every month. I was thinking of getting Center Ice on TV - just not sure if I'll really be able to watch it, so is it really worth it?

Putting The Past Behind For Zednik

Putting The Past Behind For Zednik
07/09/2007 02:04 pm
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Putting The Past Behind For Zednik Florida Panthers Jul 4, 2007, 8:00 AM EDT

Richard Zednik By Dave Joseph for floridapanthers.com



Richard Zednik put it succinctly.



“It was just a bad year,” said the 31-year-old forward, referring to the 2006-07 season. “All together, just a bad year.”



The colorful Zednik, who created ‘Zed Heads’ with his dyed hair while playing in Washington earlier in his career, is anxious to put last season behind him now that he’s a Panther.



The versatile, 31-year-old winger, who signed a two-year contract with the Panthers, experienced last year the toughest season in his 12-year NHL career.



In his second stint with the Capitals, Zednik missed six games in November with a wrist injury and then sat out December and January after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia. The season got worse in March when, after being traded to the Islanders, he missed nine games when he rushed home to Slovakia due to an illness in his family.



“With the injuries, the personal stuff in my life, it was a bad year,” said Zednik from his summer home in Slovakia. “But I’m looking forward to putting it all behind me. Last year there was just some stuff I had to go through. It wasn’t the right one for me. But I’m focused on next season. I want to go forward and be ready for the new season. Everyone is hungry to make it to the playoffs.”



Zednik, who scored eight goals in his first 13 games against the Panther franchise, gives the Panthers speed, flexibility in that he can play both wings, and possibly as many as 20-30 goals.



“Richard is a hard working forward who possesses a scoring touch,” said Panther GM and coach Jacques Martin said. “Additionally, he is a clutch player who has performed very well in postseason competition (16 goals in 43 playoff games).”



Interestingly, when free agency kicked off July 1, Zednik’s hope was there would be interest in Florida. While playing 3 ½ seasons in Montreal from 2001-04, Zednik played against Martin’s Ottawa Senators and was coached by Panther assistant Guy Charron, a former assistant with the Canadiens.



“Florida was my first choice so it was exciting when my agent called and said there was an offer,” Zednik said. “(Jozef) Stumpel is a friend of mine. I know (Tomas) Vokoun. And Jacques and Guy know me.”



Charron, who called Zednik a “bit of a free spirit” when he was younger, believes the winger’s potential is limitless whether or not his hair is dyed.



“He’s a player who can play on the top two lines,” Charron said. “I think you could consider him somewhat of a power forward. He’s a guy who goes to the net, works the small areas well in the corners, and he’s got good balance. He likes the role as an offensive player, but he’s smart enough to fulfill any role. He played on a line for a while when I was in Montreal with Saku Koivu and (Alex) Kovalev.



“I think the thing with ‘Z’ is he needs to perform on a consistent basis. It’s an issue with a lot of players. But ‘Z’ plays in traffic, down low, he dives to the net. My experience with him for a year was I respected him. And when he’s on his game, he’s a determined player.”



Zednik believes Martin will ask him to use his speed to create offense and score goals. “Jacques likes speedy wingers,” he said. “That’s what I like. I can give that and score goals.”



And that would make everyone forget last season.

Zednik to Panthers

Zednik to Panthers

07/01/2007 07:34 pm
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Panthers sign McLean and Zednik

Associated Press Jul 1, 2007, 5:48 PM EDT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -The Florida Panthers agreed to multiyear deals with free agent forwards Richard Zednik and center Brett McLean on Sunday.



Zednik, a left wing, agreed to a two-year contract and McLean, a center, gets a a three-year deal.



The 31-year-old Zednik has played in 621 career games for Washington, Montreal, and the New York Islanders , recording 320 points. Last season, while playing for both Washington and the New York Islanders , he scored 21 points in 42 games.



The Slovakia native has represented his country in seven international competitions, including thew Olympics and three world championships.



McLean posted career-high marks last season with 15 goals and 20 assists in 78 games for the Colorado Avalanche . He has 106 points in 238 NHL games during his four year career with Colorado and Chicago

Entry for July 01, 2007

Entry for July 01, 2007

07/01/2007 07:44 pm
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Well - Dan and I are happy that Zed got signed, BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PANTHERS????!!!! At least he's still on the east coast.



Yesterday, I went to the crop and got a couple of pages of Esa's scrapbook done. Today, it was a trip to Recollections for their annual sale. Got some more stuff for Esa's book.



Also stopped at Best Buy and got my new laptop! COOL! I'm still trying to get used to it - especially the mouse. I'm loving it so far though.



So glad it's a short week. Pam and Suzanne will be coming over for a cookout on Wednesday. That'll be fun. Pam hasn't seen Esa yet.



Tomorrow, Esa gets some more shots. OH - we found a tooth today! I think it had just fallen out, but Dan had mentioned that he thought she had a bad tooth coming in because it was crooked - come to find out it was on it's way out!

Panthers Open Free Agency With A Bang!

Panthers Open Free Agency With A Bang!

07/01/2007 07:53 pm
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0 Pageviews..Panthers Open Free Agency With A Bang! Jul 1, 2007, 5:46 PM EDT

By Dave Joseph for floridapanthers.com



The Panthers went shopping Sunday for speed, grit and goals during the NHL’s first day of free agency. And as dusk snuffed out the daylight, GM and coach Jacques Martin went home with his shopping bag full.



The Panthers made good on their promise to add to their roster by signing three veteran forwards – winger Richard Zednik, center Brett McLean and right winger and former Panther Radek Dvorak.



Coupled with the acquisition of goalie Tomas Vokoun last weekend, and long term deals to Nathan Horton and Bryan Allen, Martin said, “We’re very excited about the direction of our hockey club.”



“We wanted to get quicker and faster and we have two players in Zednik and Dvorak who bring those elements,” Martin said. “We wanted to get more scoring, and Zednik, prior to last year, had 20-to-30 goals in Montreal and, in the proper role, can get back to that production. McLean brings us some grittiness. He’s a responsible player and, what’s interesting about Brett, is he seems to be on an upside.”



Martin said he foresees Zednik playing on the first or second line, Dvorak on the second or third line and McLean as the third-line center.



In the first day of what is free agent frenzy, Martin said he spoke with the agents of several players, including former Panther Viktor Kozlov and Wild center Todd White. “The problem was money and terms were not right,” Martin said.



White, 32, who eventually signed with Atlanta, had 13 goals last season. McLean, 28, had 15 goals with the Avalanche.



McLean, whose 15 goals with Colorado last season was a career-high, signed for three years. Zednik, a 20-goal scorer three times in his NHL career, and Dvorak, a former first-round pick (10th overall) by the Panthers, signed two-year deals.



Zednik, 31, whose 2006-07 season was hampered by injuries, is a speedy, skilled forward who has scored 50 points twice during his NHL career with the Capitals, Canadiens and Islanders. He was originally drafted in 1994 in the 10th round (249th overall) by Washington, where he spent 6 ½ years of his career. Zednik’s 2006-07 season was rather chaotic when he missed six games in November with a wrist injury, 25 games due to surgery to repair a sports hernia, and then was traded in February to the Islanders.



During the four years he spent playing for the Montreal Canadiens, Zednik scored 50 points twice and had consecutive seasons of scoring 31 and 26 goals.



“Richard is a hard working forward who possesses a scoring touch,” Martin said. “We are confident that he will complement our nucleus of forwards very well. Additionally, he is a clutch player who has performed very well in postseason competition. He will be counted on as we look to bring continued stability and success to the Panthers organization.”



McLean, 28, has been a study in hard work in perseverance throughout his career. Drafted in the ninth round (242nd overall pick) by the Dallas Stars in the 1997 Entry Draft, McLean has made stops in Norfolk, Va., Houston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Malmo, Sweden and Brandon, Manitoba.



It took six seasons after he was drafted before McLean got his shot in the NHL after he was signed as a free agent by the Blackhawks in 2002. McLean scored 11 goals (31 points) in 76 games with the Blackhawks in 2003-04 before signing as an unrestricted free agent July 3 with the Avalanche.



“Brett is a skilled and talented forward who has improved his numbers each season since entering the NHL,” Martin said. “He will be a valuable asset to our organization and will provide further depth at the center position.”



Dvorak, 30, begins his second stint in Florida. The Panthers’ first-round draft pick (10th overall) in 1995, Dvorak spent five seasons in Florida where he scored 56 goals in 336 games. He was traded to San Jose on Dec. 30, 1999 for goalie Mike Vernon and a third-round draft pick. San Jose immediately traded Dvorak to the Rangers, where he spent four seasons before moving on to Edmonton and, last season, St. Louis.



Dvorak played in all 82 games last season for the Blues, recording 10 goals and 27 assists.



“Radek brings a tremendous amount of veteran leadership having played in more than 800 games, while advancing to the Stanley Cup finals twice,” Martin said. “He is a hard-working and focused player who plays well at both ends of the ice. We are confident that Radek is the type of player that will fit into our lineup and play a pivotal role.”



When asked if the Panthers might continue to shop for free agents, Martin replied; “That’s probably it when you look at our roster now. We’re very happy with what we did today.”

Entry for April 22, 2007

Entry for April 22, 2007.

04/22/2007 10:50 am
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Wow - I just realized it's been about 2 weeks since I've posted. Not too much has been going on.



Work is the same. Hockey is on EVERY SINGLE DAY! We are loving it! Islanders are out of the playoffs, but Zed came back for a few games. Supposedly, his mom was sick and he went home (Slovakia) to be with her. Not sure who I'm rooting for now. Maybe Buffalo, just because Zubrus is on the team (former Cap). Maybe Dallas, because Halpren (former Cap & local boy) is on the team.



Last weekend, I started transferring my cassette tapes to computer. It's going to be a long process, but I'm so enjoying listening to the old tapes again! I have so many local band tapes - you can't get them on CD!



Dan and I have both been suffering from allergies for about the last 2 weeks - sucks. It's probably time for me to go to a specialist.



I've been busy with selling stuff on Amazon.com - I'm getting a $70 deposit this week! WOOHOO! I still have my half.com account, but I've been selling stuff on Amazon much faster. It does cost a little bit more in commission than half.com, but it's worth it. I like both of these sites since you don't pay a commission or fee unless you sell. I've also started posting on Craigslist.org.



Dan and I have started looking for a new pet - a dog. I'm not sure what kind or exactly when, but we'll know when we're ready. We went to an open house at Leesburg Canine Country Club. They had food, music and vendors along with rescues. It was fun and not that far from our house. It was fun to see all the different types of dogs. We won t-shirts in the raffle too!

Entry for April 08, 2007

Entry for April 08, 2007
04/08/2007 09:58 am
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Yesterday was the last game of the season (and year) for the Caps. Unfortunately, the arena was FULL of Buffalo fans and all you could hear was "LET'S GO BUFFALO".



The good news - I WON A HOCKEY STICK - signed by Brian Sutherby! WOOHOO! It was fan appreciation day and they ALWAYS give away stuff - we always thought it was for season ticket holders though. It was SO funny - They play this sound before winning seats are announced/posted on the big screen. Dan had JUST said to me - we're not going to win anything - my response - WE JUST DID! I couldn't believe it! He didn't believe it either. Neither one of us saw exactly what we won - I thought it was a signed puck and I said to Dan that we'd have to get another puck display case before we left. Got to the table and found out it was a stick! We were kind of upset that they didn't throw stuff (T-shirts, etc) over the glass like in previous years, but hey, I got a stick!

Entry for March 29, 2007

Entry for March 29, 2007

03/29/2007 06:03 pm
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I can't remember if I posted everything I wanted from the Boston trip. It was a lot of fun.



Yesterday, we went out for dessert for LaTonya's going away party. Tomorrow is her last day. We are supposed to go out tomorrow for my birthday lunch, but I don't think SP sent out an e-mail to anyone.



Today, I was down at National all day. It took FOREVER to get there - I left the house at 7 a.m. and finally got there at 9:30 a.m. There was an accident on the Dulles Access Road, and traffic was stopped for an hour.



Bad news about Richard Zednik - he went home to Slovakia for family reason. He's just had a bad year.

Entry for March 24, 2007

Entry for March 24, 2007
03/24/2007 07:06 pm
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Getting ready for the trip to Boston tomorrow for work. I'll be there until Tuesday night. WONDERFUL! I miss 2 times I could see Zed on TV! I'm very unhappy.



Dan and I went to Outback for dinner today for my birthday.



I just set up my Amazon.com storefront and now it's time for the hockey game!

Entry for March 21, 2007.

Entry for March 21, 2007.

03/21/2007 10:59 am
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0 Pageviews..3/20/2007

TAMPA BAY 4, ISLANDERS 3, OT

Kuba's OT winner ices Islanders



Official Scoresheet
Official Super Stats



By Jason Lockhart



Filip Kuba scored 55 seconds into overtime off a deflection from Eric Perrin to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 overtime victory over the Islanders, Tuesday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.



The Lightning dominated the shots category 40-24. In his first start in three games, Rick DiPietro did all he could do to keep the Islanders in the game, stopping 36 shots. Johan Holmqvist made 21 saves for the win.



DiPietro stood on his head stopping 16 shots in the first period, but couldn't get over in time to stop Perrin's deflection at 9:20 of the period. Jason Ward backhanded the puck to Perrin, who re-directed it into the goal with his skate.



The Lightning took a 2-0 lead, 1:50 into the second period off a wrist shot from Vincent Lecavalier.



Richard Zednik cut the lead to 2-1 off a faceoff in the offensive zone. Zednik corralled the puck off the draw and in one motion fired it past Holmqvist.



It took a shorthanded opportunity for the Islanders to tie the game at two. Richard Park beat Holmqvist with a wrist shot with 9:47 to go in the second period.



The Islanders took their first lead of the game when Viktor Kozlov scored from the slot with 2:36 remaining in the second period.



Ward tied the game at three off a rebound, 4:21 into the third period.



Kuba then tallied the game-winner off a re-direction in the Islanders' crease in the opening minute of the extra frame.



The Islanders take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday at the Nassau Coliseum.





FIVE STARS OF THE GAME:

1. Eric Perrin: A goal and the setup on the game-winner

2. Rick DiPietro: Kept the Islanders in the game with 36 saves

3. Jason Ward: One goal, one assist

4. Richard Zednik: His first goal as an Islander and an assist

5. Dan Boyle: One assist, 31:22 TOI



Stat of the Game: The Islanders blocked 20 shots, while Tampa Bay blocked nine.



Slapshots: Viktor Kozlov tallied his career-high 23rd goal of the season…Marc-Andre Bergeron's wife Isabelle gave birth to Sophia, who was 6 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long. He made it back this afternoon saying everyone was in good health…During the second period, Richard Zednik moved onto the line with Miroslav Satan and Kozlov, while Alexei Yashin was put with Richard Park and Arron Asham…Zednik tallied his first goal and two-point game as an Islander.





ISLANDERS

Goaltenders

39 Rick DiPietro

1 Mike Dunham



Defensemen

32 Brendan Witt - 44 Freddy Meyer

14 Chris Campoli - 6 Sean Hill

3 Tom Poti - 47 Marc-Andre Bergeron



Forwards

55 Jason Blake - 79 Alexei Yashin - 94 Ryan Smyth

20 Richard Zednik - 27 Randy Robitaille - 81 Miroslav Satan

11 Andy Hilbert - 18 Mike Sillinger - 7 Trent Hunter

25 Viktor Kozlov -10 Richard Park - 45 Arron Asham





TAMPA BAY

Goaltenders

40 Johan Holmqvist

30 Marc Denis



Defensemen

55 Shane O'Brien - 22 Dan Boyle

3 Doug Janik - 71 Filip Kuba

44 Nolan Pratt - 21 Cory Sarich



Forwards

20 Vaclav Prospal - 4 Vincent Lecavalier - 17 Ruslan Fedotenko

16 Jason Ward - 19 Brad Richards - 26 Martin St. Louis

34 Ryan Craig - 9 Eric Perrin - 74 Nick Tarnasky

36 Andre Roy - 49 Blair Jones - 27 Tim Taylor

Entry for March 21, 2007

Entry for March 21, 2007
03/21/2007 11:51 am
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Birthday Day is going well -



Zed got two points last night and the Caps play tonight. Can't think of a better way to celebrate!



I got a card from Dan and a cat photo frame from Steph. Which is a perfect gift since I was just thinking the other day that I didn't have a picture of Babe with her ashes and her baby doll (which she had since she was a kitten - that's another story).



We're going out to lunch next week to Picante's to celebrate. It will also be LaTonya's last day.



******



4:20 - Steve (our contractor) surprised us all and took us out (to Harry's Tap Room upstairs) for dessert. YUMMY!

Entry for March 20, 2007

Entry for March 20, 2007
03/20/2007 10:39 am
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YIKES!



A week has already passed! Tomorrow is the big 38! When did I get this old?



What a week - Dan was still down and out on Wednesday and then on Thursday, he bounced back. He was up and around, started getting on the computer, etc. Friday, he was well enough to make brinner (breakfast at dinnertime) for me and Suzanne. Tuesday, he had another anxiety attack and I left work and took him to the urgent care. They couldn't find anything wrong - his vitals were OK. They took blood and were going to do a mono test on it. Thursday, he called and they said that his glucose was levated, but not much and they didn't have the results from the mono test.



Dan said that there was a message from the urgent care on this voicemail at work yesterday, but he couldn't get in touch with anyone when he called back. We're assuming that they were calling about the mono results.



VJ came back to stay overnight on Friday and Saturday, we went to Chipotle. When he was ordering, the manager came over and asked him if it was his first time, helped him place his order and gave him a free meal!



Sunday, Dan and I had a game and then the Amazing Auction. We got to meet a bunch of players - ALL except Brashear! He was a no show. All of the guys were really nice. We tried to win Brashear's game used equipment, but the bid went up to $1,000 - too much - we were willing to pay up to $500. We also bought tickets for a hockey basket, but didn't win that either. It was worth the $100 ticket each. We had a lot of fun.



I told Suzanne if we met Joe Reekie, that I would call her, well, we did and he agreed to talk to her on the phone. It was funny. She said she didn't know what to say to him - "JOE, I LOVE YOU!"? Pictures of the game and auction will be posted later.

Entry for March 06, 2007

Entry for March 06, 2007
03/06/2007 02:47 pm
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What a busy week -



Game on Sunday, pick up Cash on Sunday (both in the snow), meeting at National Airport, work on Saturday, followed by game on Saturday, still mourning the loss of Zed to Islanders, taking care of Cash, trying to do taxes, getting paperwork together for the financial class I'm taking (more than likely our future financial planner).



Zed got a point on Saturday night, so I was happy for that. I thought for sure there was going to be a major fight with Brashear and Witt from the Islanders. Yesterday, I got to see Zed on TV and he got mentioned in the postgame article for the TWO saves he made -



Later in the period, Richard Zednik played goalkeeper, stopping Michael Nylander's rebound from bouncing into the goal with the Rangers pressing.



We're having a lot of fun with Cash - he's such a good dog. We'd never be that lucky! I bought him a rope toy yesterday and he's in love with it. Best 88 cents I've spent! I had my day off yesterday, so went to Walmart in the morning and then Chipotle for lunch then came home and did bills. I got as far as installing the tax program. I hate doing taxes, but at least the tax program helps out.



Dan called last night and said that he didn't feel well. The minute he walked into work, he started coughing and sneezing. He made it home regular time and threw up. He better not blame it on Chipotle! I'll go without him if he starts blaming it. He's staying home today and probably tomorrow too - he has a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. We'll see. He just hasn't been feeling well and I know it just goes back and forth at his work.