Trash Talk

That's it.

I'm ending all the Pats/Jets trash talk right here. This SI cover from 2007 says all that need to be said.

My Tommy's the deal breaker.

I am SO sick of all this Jets trash talk that I'm crawling out of my skin in anticipation for this game. When My Tommy and the boys open up a can of Whoop Ass on the Jets on Sunday, I WILL be there. I may even bring my new Flip cam and film some of the highlights to show you on Monday.

On paper we are the better team; more experienced, better offense and the best QB in the game. What we lack in defense, could Belichick make up for with schemes? Is Wilfork the heart of this young, tough defense? We should handle the Jets, no problem.But, I've said it before, this is a whole new season and anything can happen. This is going to be legendary.

And we don't go around trash talking. We just do our trashin' on the gridiron.

My Jets loving trainer and I had a slight debate going this morning (more Jets trash talk) and he commented on something that was so laughable, that I told him that I would throw it out there to my blogger buddies.

He said, "The Patriots have never won a legitimate Super Bowl."

After I picked myself up from the floor, because I was laughing so hard, I looked him square in the eye and said, "Are you shi**ing me? You are talking about arguably one of the greatest Quarterbacks to EVER play the game and a Hall Of Fame Head Coach. This team is on track to win their 4th Super Bowl in the new Millenium."

He cited "The Tuck Rule" and "Spy Gate" as his reasons for the Pats Super Bowl wins. "Why do you think everyone hates the Patriots?"he said.

To which I answered, "Everyone loves the Patriots because they are a DYNASTY, and when we bring home the Lombardi trophy from Dallas, all you naysayers will have to come up with some other pathetic reason to say it's not legit."

Call me a homer because I may just be the biggest but quiet confidence is how US Pats fans are feeling today. There is no need to trash talk.

And yes, HE is that good.

Snow Day

DAMN, did we get bombed!!!

Yesterday was a serious snow day. I woke up around 7am and the snow was coming down at an unbelievable pace. By that time we already had a foot of snow and it looked like white out conditions outside my window.

Then the snow continued All. Day. Long. And did not stop. We ended up with probably 17-18 inches in total, and some places in MA got up to 2 feet or more.

I gotta tell you, it was AWESOME. With no where to go, the weather furious, everybody was home bound for the day. I couldn't feel that pang of guilt you sometimes feel when I make a decision to close the store. This one was a no brainer. No one could move for most of the day. Wherever you were, you pretty much stayed put and had to wait it out.

Today begins the messy process of clean-up.

And my home town never looked more beautiful.

The majesty of Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me.

Squeezing The Juice

My friend Chris over at Knucklehead invited bloggers to join his, "Knuckleheads Blog-Off" 2011 a while back, and I decided to join in. Chris is an amazing writer with an amazing writing style and a whiz with detail, so I am stoked to have the opportunity to represent in his contest...even if he is a Jets fan. (BRING IT)

So, having said that, this is my entry for the Knuckleheads Blog-Off 2011 where the Round one topic is, "A Childhood Story".

This contest runs through Sunday, Jan 9th, 2011 to Wednesday night, and voting takes place on Knuckleheads blog. Results will be posted on Thursday morning, along with a new category.

Lets just say I hope I get the chance to go with a new topic. So vote for me bloggers, if you like my story....

HERE

I grew up in the seventies. The youngest of five, my two sisters arriving first in the birth order, then my two brothers, my mom says a girl was a welcome addition to the brood. Since my sisters were already grown and gone when I reached my younger, formative years, my brothers became my closest playmates and as such, their world became mine. Safe to say that sports was at their epi-center. Cute, and pony tailed, if I wanted to hang with the boys, I had no choice but to become malleable and go with THEIR flow. I knew no other way and I lived to hang with them and do what they were doing. My brother, closest to me in age, was five years older and since I came into the picture, he made it his job to terrorize and torture me. To him this was almost better than anything, making his baby sister perform at his whim, and like a trained seal, I complied with his every command.

If we were playing hide and go seek, he would grab me for his team, hide me in the toughest of places, vowing I would never be found by our opponent, and then leave me there.... For what seemed like an eternity.... Eventually I would find my way out of the middle shelf of the closet, covered by the bath towels and perspiration and seek him out. Crying and angry, I played the only card I had in my deck of one. "I'm telling mom." It was like a magic "be mean to your sister" antidote and my brother would then turn on the charm and vow to never do it again.....until the next time I trusted him. Which usually wasn't very long after.

One of the games we used to play together he called, "The Juice", which is ironic because he killed me every time we played it. "You are The Juice, and I am the defensive line," he would say coyly. "You have the ball and you have to get through ME to score a touchdown and win the game." And I bought it, hook, line and sinker. I couldn't believe my good fortune! I get to be the star running back and win the game. I figured it wouldn't be too hard as I had seen it happen lots of times on TV, and my brother was playing with JUST me. What luck!

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that The Juice got knocked down more than a Mike Tyson opponent during his championship years, but I always got up and went back for more, ever unsure of whether or not I liked this particular game. I never let on and I continued to play this game for years, bruised and battered, never utilizing my Ace in the hole when mom asked where the bruises came from. Looking back, I really have to thank my brother. Not only does my love of sports supersede every other girl I came in contact with, but this little game we played every so often made me tough as nails. Although I never knew it until years later.

Flash forward, we are now in our twenties, and although much more mature, the big brother power he held still reigned. I'm not quite sure what we were arguing about or why, it seemed to be something having to do with Ramen Noodle soup and the microwave, but that detail is not important. What I remember clear as day, is the sheer terror of my brothers anger, directed at me and my running away from his clenched fist in the heat of the argument. By that time we had moved from the sprawling home of my formative years, one that housed five children, to a smaller more modern home with much less running room.

My brother chased me and had me cornered in our tiny bathroom downstairs and he looked to me like Ferdinand the bull, steam escaping from his flared nostrils. I had painted myself into a corner and I knew one thing for certain....I was gonna die if I didn't think fast. With no where to go, trapped like a rat, as they say, I turned around and clocked my brother square in the chin with MY clenched fist. The sound of imaginary bells began ringing in my head. I think my brother's eyes turned into two black x's and I might have even seen a tweedy bird or two fly around his head, but the chase stopped right there and so did my brother's reign as dictator.

The Juice was no longer ripe for the squeezing, and my brother and I ate the Ramen Noodle soup in silence. I think we both learned a valuable lesson that night. With every teacher/student relationship, eventually the student becomes the teacher. I don't think my brother has ever looked at a glass of orange juice with the same confidence again.

My Tommy-less Weekend

Yeah...it's a My Tommy-less weekend for us Tommy-lovin Patriots fans. That shot is from today's Boston Herald, and yet I still marvel at his awesomeness and beauty.

Sorry... so I was saying before I was distracted by greatness, that we'll take the bye week and enjoy the view from up top while we can. Cuz anything can happen in the coming weeks. It's like a whole new season. So I'll watch the AFC Wildcard game; Jets vs. Colts and wonder who I hate more. It's pretty close to a tie, although I might just have to wear my flip flops, with my freshly pedicured toes and root for the Colts.......hee hee. This year I hate the Jets more, but then again Manning tends to get lucky in the postseason. It's a toss up.

Either way, it makes for good football and gives me a reason to marvel at My Tommy.

That man is sheer perfection.

Happy Weekend bloggers. I hope all your NFL dreams come true.

Ellen Incarnate

If I get to choose to come back in another life as someone, I'm thinking I'm coming back as Ellen Degeneres. I watch the Ellen show every morning while I pump out my 30 minutes of cardio and I have to say, it's just about the best part of my day. I laugh, I think, I marvel, but the best part of all is when I get to DANCE.

Ellen is amazing. Poised to step right in for Oprah, when she hangs up her talk show, Christian Louboutin shoes, Ellen was smart to end her American Idol judging gig and focus on taking the TV talk show throne as she is clearly the most logical choice. It has already been announced here in Boston that the Ellen show, which airs at 9am will be moved to Oprah's 4pm prime time time slot when the Oprah show goes black sometime later this year. Now all the mothers at home "putting the chicken in the oven" as Oprah says, won't be too disgruntled by the loss of the Oprah show.



Ellen's job is a dream job, as she gets to talk with celebs, feature new talent, play games, do funny segments, and did I mention she gets to dance? And she's dancing and laughing all the way to the bank. I wonder if she ever wakes up and actually pinches herself, because she is living the dream, just by being herself. I know it wasn't an easy road for her to get here, and she stumbled along the way, but despite it all, she has persevered and she is loved by a lot of people. And she's funny as hell. She's got a soft, kind way about her that endears her to the public. Love her or hate her, you gotta give her kudos. Yup, Ellen today is on my short list of people I'd come back as in another life.



And did I mention, I'd get to dance.

iPad Mania

I'd like to introduce you to my new best friend.

I got an iPad for Christmas and I seem to be taking it with me wherever I go. Me and my new iPad, we're just like peas and carrots. Having just traveled by plane on my tiny little adventure, I noticed that the iPad seemed to be every one's new best friend as almost 1 out of 3 people sitting and waiting for flight delays, had on their laps, a brandy new, sparkling iPad.

Seriously, 1 out of 3 people were in possession of the iPad. What does this say about Apple's dominance in the personal computer industry? And what happens to all those brandy new iPads when Apple upgrades to a new and improved model in the next 3-6 months? Talk about market saturation.

So here's the question: Has the iPad replaced the lap top as the lap device of choice? I, like everyone else, was fascinated when Apple launched the iPad back in April 2010. I even bought one for My Guy, on pre-order, because I figured as a gadget guy, this was one gadget he just had to have. My Guy was not so impressed when he heard the news that the iPad had been purchased for him and would be arriving in the next few months. "I'm not an Apple guy," he told me.

Boy was he wrong, because he even hinted when it came time for the iPad to arrive that he was slightly excited. So it came, and we all played with it, and checked our emails in the kitchen and family room, and used it for our ongoing Google battles (another story), but that was about it for the iPad. It became the kitchen computer for easy and quick access. About a month or two ago, My Guy bought this thing called Apple TV and his whole technological life changed. Using his iPad as a remote, My Guy now has so much information at his fingertips, that we joke that he has taken to carrying his iPad around the house like his blankie.

With Apple TV we can access all of My Guy's extensive music library, movies, TV Shows and even download them onto the iPad for enjoyment when we travel. These days he is never without his iPad, even at his side at his desk at work. He has become a fan. I find myself marveling at the ease and access I now have with my own iPad.

Do we really need to be a two iPad family? The answer is no, of course not. But I can say without reservation that the purchase of my iPad was not in vain as I use the iPad for what it is best intended to be used for.

Shopping.

All Signs Pointing In The Right Direction

Remember I told you I had never been to Texas?

Well, it's looking like I may have spoken a self-fulfilling prophecy. While My Guy and I were on our little adventure, we went golfing. The starter at the club hooked us up with a man who was playing alone, so our twosome became a threesome. We met our golf partner, who was a nice gent from Dallas.

Dallas?? I thought. My Tommy radar hit it's target. "So maybe I'll be coming to Dallas soon," I told the man. "As I just so happen to be a PATRIOTS season ticket holding fan." He looked at me perplexed. I forgot for a moment that not everyone is as obsessed with The New England Patriots as I am. He was a football fan, though.

"I said I am a fan of the 12-3, New England Patriots. The team that has won 3 out of 4 World Championships in the last decade," I said. "You know, the team that had a 2007 perfect regular season. The team that has arguably the greatest QB to ever play the game, My Tommy. The team that seems destined to win one again."
"OH, that's what you're talking about." my new best friend said. Then the wheels started spinning.

My new friend fast started to tell me where we needed to stay and what we needed to do once in Dallas. I liked my new friend. His enthusiasm for his city all at once made him breath new life into his own football fan-ism. He is a Bears fan, he told me, and at the time he was holding on to his playoff hopes by a shredded piece of dental floss. He could only marvel at my team. We talked football for a while and he insisted that he would be our tour guide when in Dallas, if the football Gods see to it that we get there.

That was sign one.

Sunday, although meaningless, was sign two. But I'm not counting those particular eggs right now. I have been here before. It was 2007 and My Tommy and the boys were surging into the playoffs. We got excited and did not want to be denied when it came time to go to Miami. So we booked our trip before the AFC Championship game, confident that we would not be denied. And what happened? My Tommy lost to Peyton Manning. We ended up in Miami, with no ticket to a game we could have cared less about, watching it in the RAIN in a bar. You live, you learn. This time I approach with a quiet confidence. With my new friend in tow, I will keep my eyes on the prize, but be cautious. Dallas could be a reality, for sure, but I will take a wait, WIN, and see approach.

And this time, all signs seem to be pointing in the right direction.