Super Bowl 43 - NFL Experience

The NFL football experience is the most exciting continuous event surrounding Superbowl® XLIII - an interactive theme park offering interactive games, displays and entertainment attractions.

Okay, that’s what they say about it. I went last night, more accurately, yesterday afternoon AND last night. A friend got free tickets (they cost $18.50 each) and she took me along. We had a good time even though it rained all afternoon and most of the evening on and off. Out of the 50 NFL superstars that are promised over the course of the event (it ran two days last weekend and from last night through Super Bowl Sunday), we met and got the autograph of exactly ONE. Brandon Jacobs of the NY Giants. That was in the State Farm Insurance tent and I won a tailgating chair that I had to lug around the rest of the night (it was worth it, it’s a nice chair). We also did this game where you threw the football and it measured how far it would have gone. Pathetic when I used to be able to make it sail......a whole 17 yards.

Getting Brandon's autograph was where we met this character.... half Tony Romo and half Jessica Simpson, or so the MC's kept calling him all night. Personally, I hope he makes a better man than a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. *shudder*

Visited the traveling NFL Hall of Fame exhibit and that was amazing. REALLY AMAZING. Equipment and jerseys from HOFers from the beginning. Pictures of superstars, even the Income Tax Form from a player in 1938. He made $1375 and was required to pay for his own equipment, plus he had a ‘real’ job. All of the players did back then. How different it is today. Now I’ll have to visit the REAL NFL Hall of Fame! I’ve always been a football fan and it’s always, always been the Chicago Bears for me. I know, I know, you’re supposed to support your local team....but I just can’t seem to get behind the Buccaneers.

Got up close and personal with the Vince Lombardi trophy, had our picture taken with it and read about how it’s made. VERY cool to get that close to it.

At the National Dairy Council booth you could get you picture taken and they'd superimpose a player into the picture. So after standing in line eating free samples of Cabot cheese, I chose Roberto Garza of the Chicago Bears.....see I said I was a Bears fan!

Saw this fabulous video about the history of football that was fantastic, showing the greats of the game, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Brian Griese, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and a host of others. Awesome video....and it was INSIDE where it wasn’t raining!

Then we hit the Topps Super Bowl Card Show, where there were dozens of vendors selling football and baseball cards, memorabilia, paintings and an auction place where you could bid on silent and live auction items. I wanted the autographed Gayle Sayers ball cap that was in the silent auction. The bid was already $60 and the auction wouldn’t end until midnight. That was at 5:30. Being unemployed SUCKS.

We visited the NFL official store and did a little shopping....very little, but I got myself a Super Bowl 43 pin and collected a couple things for a dear, dear friend that’s a Steelers fan. Belated 50th birthday gifts. LOL

Also collected autographs from ALL of the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders. THAT collection is going in the mail to an old and good friend that lives in Arizona. He’ll enjoy it.

Oh and Channel 8 was broadcasting their 6 and 11 pm news from the NFLX and got our pictures taken behind the news desk.

The craziest part of the evening though was the wild and weird golf cart ride back to our car. Through mud puddles, over curbs, into the media parking lot, through narrow passages at breakneck speed (for a golf cart) and all the way to my car! Our driver was nice, entertaining and FUNNY, oh and revealed that he’s a nudist. Fifty four years old and is married to a woman that’s older and a second generation nudist. Her grandmother is 78 and is a newly converted nudist. Talk about a crazy conversation with that man! He dispelled some misconceptions I had about that whole lifestyle (no, the men do NOT walk around with constant boners) and yes, they require that if you’re in the pool, hot tub or playing games on the beach you MUST be naked. Anyway, as I said entertaining, enlightening and FUNNY!

Boredom and orchids

I have now officially been unemployed for two months and eleven days. The first month and a half were great, they fell over the holidays, I had time to bake and relax, wrap gifts and be festive. All the while job hunting on the side....the far side. I did the required inquiries and put in applications without any expectations of getting any of the jobs I applied for. And didn’t get any of them. For that month and a half, that was a good thing. I really didn’t want to be employed and be honest, who hires just before the holidays? Nobody, or nearly nobody. The woman I worked with that got laid off with me went back to work within two weeks. She isn’t thrilled with her new job, is bored silly to be frank, but as she said, she’s employed and in this economy, that’s a big deal.

So once the holidays were over I cranked up the job hunting to more of a priority and still nada, zilch, zippo, nicht, nothing. I have a couple of real prospects out there... fingers crossed... but so far it’s been a whole pile of rejections. Now I know what it must feel like to be an author attempting to get published for the first time. Guess this is practice for that.

Anyway, boredom. I know I could be cleaning out the garage, quilting that Christmas gift that was supposed to be delivered a year ago, getting my income tax ready to send in or a multitude of other projects to take up the time that job hunting doesn’t. Thing is I have no motivation to do them. I’m bored with it. Bored with house cleaning and straightening, doing projects that used to be relegated to the weekends. Bored with being home. I want some adult business interaction. Something that challenges my mind and my abilities. Not humdrum, boring projects that fill time instead of my mind.

Although I could be writing on Amber or the other story that hasn’t progressed far enough that I want to start publishing it here. That’s an entirely different sort of mental stimulation. And one that I engage in nearly daily. That story isn’t one you’ll ever see online. It’s not fan fiction and some day my co-author and I hope it’ll be published.... or we’ll get one of those dreaded rejection letters.

So, since I’m bored and my other hobby besides writing FF and non-FF is raising orchids, I figured I’d tell you about them. Orchids belong to the most diverse family of plants known to man. There are over 880 genera, 28,000 species and well over 300,000 registered cultivars currently documented. Orchids are the most rapidly (genetically) changing group of plants on earth and more new species have been discovered over the last few thousand years than any other plant group known.

Orchids are also one of the most adaptable plant groups on earth. Some Australian orchids grow entirely underground, and many tropical jungle orchids grow in the upper branches of trees. Tundra, rainforest, mountain, grassy plain, desert and swamp environments contain numerous orchid species.

I currently only have about two dozen plants, which is down from what I had ten years ago. At the peak of my (and my late husband’s) hobby, there were 1,000 plants out back in my little greenhouse. You read that right. One Thousand orchids. All different. Now I’m down to a half dozen Vandaceous orchids (Vandas). One of which is currently in bloom and in the ‘My Other Hobby’ box > . One Phalaenopsis, one Schomburgkia, six Dendrobiums, 6-8 Brassavola digbyanas (all in sheath getting ready to bloom), one Oncidium sphacelatum, one Rhynchostylis gigantea (in bloom) and one Laelia – also in bloom. That doesn’t include my Florida native orchids that are among the few species of orchids that are terrestrial; most orchids are actually air plants, with some others semi-terrestrial.

Have your eyes glazed over with just the names of them? Yeah, mine did too when I first got into them. Then I discovered that the names just started rolling off the tip of my tongue as if I was saying hello. Now I can recite names without thinking....well, some of them. Others I have to think about before I say them. Like Rhynchostylis (rink ko stylis) gigantea, reading the word is harder than saying the name. Others like Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium and Brassavola digbyana have nicknames – Phals (fails), Dens and Digbyana (or as I like to call them Diggy).



That's a Rhynchostylis gigantea. The flowers are each about the size of a quarter.

That one's a Laelia - I don't remember the cultivar for it, but just know it's a Laelia.



And this one is a Vanda - I also don't remember the cultivar for it, but somewhere I have it written down, since knowing the varieties that are crossed to get a certain orchid are what makes each plant more valuable.

Jon at Commander in Chief's Ball

I have to say that even in a 2" x 2" screen on the Pentagon Channel the man is gorgeous. Loved that he kept having to adjust his bowtie....that look is so not rockstar! It was Jon Bon Jovi with Bobby Bandiera, Lorenza Ponce, Jeff Kazee and Everett Bradley. They played Who Says You Can't Go Home, Livin' on a Prayer, Here Comes the Sun and Wanted.....which was marred by fact Richie wasn't there with him and Bobby seems to think he is Richie and did this awful washboard thing on his guitar that ruined the song.

Meanwhile, Jon was interviewed by Katie Couric after he performed and I just love to hear the man talk.





There are videos of the songs out there, but I don't have them, you CAN find them here on Lee in Australia's blogsite. And if you go to Hath's blogsite, you'll be able to download the MP3's of the songs and interview.

I have to add that yesterday was an amazing day, our new President is eloquent, idealistic and hopefully he'll be able to solve some of America's problems. It'll take years and hard work, but if everyone works together, perhaps, just perhaps, we'll see that dream come true.

Where to find Jon on TV for the next few days

Here are a list of where to find Jon on television. Most people get Oprah at 10 am, however, in the Tampa Bay area, she's not on until 4 pm, so check local listings for what time you get it.

Tuesday 1/20 - Barack Obama's Inaugural Ball is being broadcast at 7pm EST for military personal on the Pentagon Channel, but you can watch live on the Pentagon Channel web site. Singer Jon Bon Jovi will headline the event, with comedian George Lopez as emcee and performances by singer Jordin Sparks, Miss America 2009 Kirsten Haglund and the group Right On.

Wednesday 1/21 - Jon on Oprah (check your local listings). Oprah's Post-Inauguration Special - The two-day event continues from the heart of capitol hill. You can practically feel the whole country vibrating! Oprah will tell you all about the big day.

Thursday 1/22- JBJ : It's My Life : On Biography Channel - 8:00pm ET and Friday, January 23 12:00am ET Interviews with Calista Flockhart, Elton John, and Al Gore highlight this portrait of the musician and actor who set his sights on being a rock star at age 13 and never looked back. Follow Jon's early career, which included the smash hit Slippery When Wet, and see how Jon reinvented his music after years of touring burned out his band in the late 1980s.

Misc. Musings

Hath, Tara and Big Apple Jovi Girl have covered the We Are One event thoroughly and beautifully. If you want to read about it, see the video clips or get the MP3s, links to their sites are on the right side of mine.

My thoughts on it. Jon looked as fantastic as ever. His voice made me proud to be a Bon Jovi fan, the man has a great set of pipes on him. I was amazed by Pete Seger being on that stage, talk about an icon of folk music. Wow. Stevie Wonder made me smile, every time I see him I remember when I saw him live as a special guest to the Rolling Stones in Detroit, MI in 1972. Bruce Springstein was good, very good and I’m no fan of his for the most part. Garth Brooks, awesome to see him on stage. How I wish that Jon and Garth would do something together, maybe Jon could have come out and done Shout with Garth? What I’d really love is to see the two of them perform together somewhere or maybe on a record. Sigh. Two of my very favorite front men.

What must it have been like backstage? Can you imagine being a fly on the wall with that many of the finest musicians and actors of our time in one place? The conversations that must have occurred. Incredible. All of them there for the same thing and I just hope they all stowed their egos at the door because that could have spelled disaster. Yet, even then to have seen the interaction, the diversity of the personalities and their talents and how they all worked together to make that event what it was. We may all be one as Americans, but we are all very different as individual people. What an event and how proud it makes me to be an American.

On a far different subject. Have you ever had one of those nights when you just wanted treat yourself to an evening of pure decadence? I had a bottle of Bath and Body Works Wickedly Hot Chocolate 3 in 1 shampoo, body wash, and bubble bath and poured some in the tub. Made myself a little snack buffet of cheeses, crackers and meats, grabbed a smutty novel and crawled in. Used the Pier One Imports dark chocolate glycerin soap that I bought a while back and ended it all with Avon’s chocolate orchid body butter. After my decadently wonderful bath, I made a cup of hot chocolate, added Kahlua to it and I think that Saturday night was as close to heaven as this girl could get.

Now, if that potential job opportunity that I was presented with today works out, I might be back on the employment roll soon. Fingers crossed.

January 16th

For 25 years I celebrated January 16th as my husband's birthday. After he died it was a day I dreaded because it signalled the beginning of the end of the short battle he lost to pancreatic cancer in 2002. That all changed last year.

My chosen sister, the woman that's been my best friend, muse, writing partner, sounding board and the only person that ever really has understood me (including my husband at times), indirectly gave me the best gift that anyone could have on that date. Indirectly because the one that gave me the gift was her daughter. She had one beautiful daughter and was pregnant again. The baby was due in late March, but due to complications and medical reasons that are too complicated to go into, she was induced.

On my cell phone on January 15, 2008 was a message from that wonderful young woman, "I don't care if I have to cross my legs, this baby will be born on Corky's birthday". I cried. And on January 16th after a battle that was hard fought, she kept her promise.

So now, January 16th has a new meaning to me. It's a new beginning and on January 16, 2009, that beautiful baby turned a year old. She's had a hard battle this year. Spent the first months of her life in the hospital, fought off an infection that at the least could have caused her to lose a limb and at worst could have killed her. Thanks to the attentiveness and closeness of family it was discovered soon enough that neither happened. Now the little beauty is walking and talking. She's a year old and I can't be happier that January 16th is a date that I can once again look forward to celebrating.

Happy Birthday Miss Gracie.

Leonard Cohen to perform in NYC on February 19th

I wonder if Jonny will be there in the audience?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran folk singer Leonard Cohen, forced back on the road after his business manager lost his retirement savings, will play his first U.S. concert in more than 15 years next month, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The 74-year-old Canadian icon will perform at the Beacon Theater in New York City on February 19. Tickets for the show at the 2,800-seat venue will go on sale on Friday.

A spokeswoman said she could not yet provide details of any additional shows.

Cohen has been on tour since May, playing shows across Canada and Europe. He is about to begin a trek through New Zealand and Australia. After his previous tour in the early 1990s, he retreated to a mountain near Los Angeles to become a Buddhist monk.

He resurfaced in 2005, claiming that his former manager and lover Kelley Lynch misappropriated more than $5 million, reducing his retirement account to $150,000. A Los Angeles court awarded him a $9 million civil judgment, but he has reportedly not been able to collect from Lynch.

Cohen rose to fame in the late 1960s with his poems, songs and novels steeped in detached romance. His half-sung ballads such as "Suzanne," "Hallelujah" and "Bird on a Wire" have been widely covered by other artists.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Only you can help save Hillary!

Okay, I had to laugh at this article....it's completely (I hope) tongue in cheek and it gave me a laugh....

The Powers that Be
Doug Powers
Posted: January 12, 2009 1:00 am Eastern© 2009

Have you ever seen a liberal politician in need and wished there was something you could do to help? Me neither, but on the off chance you're one of those people, this is your opportunity.

For the price of just 15 cups of coffee – at Starbucks – you can help save Hillary Clinton from having to personally pay off her campaign debt, all while watching Jon Bon Jovi perform.

On Jan. 15 – this Thursday – "A final evening in support of Hillary Clinton for President Debt Relief" will attempt to rid our nations newest secretary of state of her remaining $6.3 million campaign debt. In the good old days, that amount was nothing that $20 worth of cattle future investments couldn't have handled, and it's the best evidence of how our ailing economy has harmed even the wealthiest and well connected of our illustrious public servants.

Remember when musicians put on concerts to help people who were actually in need? Now we're having concerts for rich politicians. This is pathetic, shameless and true to the Clinton tradition.

Tickets for the event range from $75 to $1,000. This means that, if the fundraiser is run in accordance with government math, all Hillary will have to do is sell 100 of the $75 tickets and 25 of the $1,000 tickets, and the entire $6.3 million debt will be considered paid in full.

I'm almost tempted to donate. One of my greatest fears was to see Hillary Clinton as president, and that didn't happen due to the many, many mistakes that were made by the Clinton campaign – and I hate to see that brand of incompetence go unrewarded.

Hillary Clinton's hope and dream was to be president of the United States, and that dream was dashed. It's a sad story, and no doubt this fact will be camped up to the nth degree at the fundraiser.

I picture the evening opening with Hillary sitting in a mud pit with flies buzzing around her head while a weepy Sally Struthers whimpers into the camera, "It takes a village to bail out wealthy politicians whose dreams were dashed … please help!"

Dinner and dancing will follow, and as the DJ plays some up-tempo music, look for Bill Clinton to show off his Samba, Merengue and Cha-Cha moves – also look for Hillary to throw a coffee mug at Bill after she discovers that those aren't dances, but the names of three strippers Bubba brought to the fundraiser.

Then Sally will introduce Jon Bon Jovi, who has fast become the Bob Hope of liberal political cause celebres.

I managed to get my hands on the setlist of songs Bon Jovi has re-written exclusively to perform for Hillary and the liberal audience that will be in attendance. If you're going to Hillary's bailout bash, here's what you can expect to hear:

"Livin' on a (completely voluntary) Prayer"
"I'll be there for Hsu"
"Blaze of Gloria (Steinem)"
"Lincoln's Bedroom of Roses"
"You Give Love a Bad Name" (dedicated to Bill)
"In and Out of Love" (dedicated to Bill)
"Social Disease" (dedicated to Bill)
"Last Cigarette" (dedicated to New York Mayor Bloomberg)
"I'd lie for you"
"Born to Be My Baby"***
"Rodham Cowboy!"
Encore: "Hillarycare" (formerly "Bad Medicine")

***Note: "Born to Be My Baby" was dropped from the scheduled setlist after event organizers learned that the president of Planned Parenthood would be attending the concert.

Rainy Tuesday and Bon Jovi

So I spent my morning trying to find a job. Actually got a couple of resumes out to companies hiring and now I have to wait and see if I get any response. Once I was done with that I wandered over to Hath's site to see what was happening and she had this incredibly simple chocolate cake recipe. Sooooo, I had to try it. I wasn't particularly impressed with the results, but with tweeking, I think it can be much better. Here's the link.

http://thegoddesshathor.blogspot.com/2009/01/5-minute-chocolate-mug-cake.html

If you try it, use mini chips, the regular ones sink right to the bottom.

And from there I ended up at Big Apple Jovi's site. How did I miss her site before????? Why am I mentioning her site? Well, she has a picture there and a ticket stub that caught my interest. Holy Shit. If it's her ticket stub I'm jealous as all hell, because it's for the softball game that was played at Al Lopez Field in Tampa in 1987. I wanted to go. I intended to go. We had one car and hubby wouldn't take me. That was back when I was a closet Jovi freak and he didn't like them, HATED THEM even. I miss the hell out of that man, but I don't miss having to hide my Jovi obsession.

Updated and Addicted

Amber's updated. Still working on the new story and it’s going very well, however, you won’t see it until I’m satisfied with it, so be patient. It’ll be worth your wait.

And I'm addicted. Okay, well, to a number of things actually. First, I'm addicted to chocolate. What woman isn't, right? And those that know me and especially those that have been to my place know how strong my addiction is. My usual 'drug' of choice is Dove Dark Chocolate Promises. Love those little morsels of delight. Then come the Lindt Dark Chocolate Truffles. YUM!

However, I've a new addiction, well, two. The first is Lindt's Dark Chocolate bar with Chili in it. I'd never have tried it and never considered that combination if it hadn't been for Johnny Depp and the movie Chocolat. If you haven't seen it, find it, rent it, whatever. It's as good as the combination of sweet dark chocolate with just a hint of spicy kick that the chili gives it.

The second is body butter, that rich, creamy stuff that makes your skin soft, moisterized and smelling wonderful. Two of my good friends, Angel and Jovilynn came to visit in October and each brought me a pot of the stuff. Angel's was some Scottish stuff called Butter Me Up and it has this floral scent that's very pleasurable and I use often. Jovilynn brought one that smells of chocolate. It contains cocoa butter and gives my skin a wonderfully deep moisturized feeling and I spend the rest of the day wreathed in the scent of chocolate. Heavenly.

Which brings me to the reason I mention it. My addiction that is. You'd think two pots of body butter would be enough for the Muse. Nope. Avon is now selling it as well and so being a good Avon Rep, I had to try out theirs. Their liiv botanicals line of products are awesome anyway, but their moisture boosting body butter has a very light fragrance and saturates your skin without being greasy. I really like it.

They also had to go out and bring out a line of products with a chocolate scent. It’s actually called chocolate orchid (two of my favorite things) and they not only have body butter, but a moisturizing lotion, shower wash and scent mist. So I had to buy the body butter to compare to Jovilynn’s gift. Totally different. Where hers was thick and closer to pure cocoa butter, this is more on the line of light whipped butter and smells of chocolate, orchid and vanilla. Both Angel and I mourned the fact that Bath and Body Works did not have a chocolate line this Christmas and were therefore happy that Avon has one.

And that’s not even including the fact they also have a Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Bubble Bath now......

As an Aside: They do have other scents, it's just I'm hooked on chocoloate orchid. There is also Lemon Sugar, Honey Jasmine and Lime Lavender.

It's GREAT to be a FLORIDA GATOR!

By MARTIN FENNELLY The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 9, 2009

MIAMI - Tim Tebow kept his promise.

Of course he did.

His teammates did, too.

So unless you slept under a Texas, Utah or USC blankie, you woke this morning to Florida's third national football championship.

You woke to the replays from the second half, to the head down, to the gritty runs, to the three Gators scoring drives, to the last of them, the clincher, finished off by an old favorite, a Tim Tebow fake run and jump pass for a touchdown that sealed the 24-14 victory over Oklahoma.

He didn't have his best night.

No, not at all.

He threw two interceptions in the first half, as many as he'd thrown in the first 13 games of this championship season.

But when it mattered, when it counted, Tebow counted more, at least more than Oklahoma Heisman winner Sam Bradford and the historically prolific Sooners offense.

Maybe he isn't the best quarterback in the nation.

He has heard all that. Leading up to this game, he heard Oklahoma defenders flapping their gums about how Tebow would only be the fourth best quarterback in the Big 12, or even the seventh best.

In the end, he was only who he was.

First best.

A winner like we've almost never seen.

There were so many other players in this game.

So many other big Florida plays.

The Gators defense held an Oklahoma team that had scored 60 or more points in its last five games to 14 all night.

Think about that.

Florida held OU without points twice inside the red zone late in the first half - a huge fourth-down stop by former Armwood star Torrey Davis, and an interception by Major Wright, who made the grab only after seemingly the entire defense had batted it around. Team effort.

And there was Percy Harvin, playing through pain, maybe not even at full speed, shredding Oklahoma when it mattered.

But in the end, how could you not come back to No. 15?

You knew he was fired up about his first start in a national championship. He said he'd dreamed about it since he was a kid. Maybe he was tight because of it. He missed a lot of throws, and his two picks were thrown off his back foot. Or maybe he wanted to prove OU's defense wrong, so very wrong. It was motivation.

"Absolutely," Tebow said this week.

So he came out after halftime, the game tied at 7, and he grabbed this night. He led the Gators downfield, running again and again, six times for 48 yards, making big plays, until Harvin ran it in for a 14-7 lead. At one point, he rose up and raised his arms to the Gators in the crowd and roared. They roared right back.

Has there ever been a leader like this kid?

Oklahoma tied it early in the fourth quarter, but the Gators came right back, Harvin breaking off a 52-yard run that eventually led to a field goal.
But the last drive belonged to Tebow, as it should have. After the defense made another big play - Ahmad Black's interception - Tebow led the Gators downfield.

He was left off more than a few Heisman ballots this time around. Maybe that was motivation, too.

Down the field came the Gators.

Down the field came Tim Tebow.

Six passes, six completions.

A 13-yard pass. A 17-yarder on third and 10. Over the middle for 29 yards. Then another for four yards, and one for nine yards on a shovel pass on third and 6, all the way to the Oklahoma 6. He ran up the middle for two yards before jumping and throwing to David Nelson for the score.

A few minutes later, as the game MVP stood on the championship platform with his teammates, how could you not think about the emotional apology and promise Tebow made after the loss to Mississippi, how no one would work harder, or push his team more.

That was the promise.

Thursday night, that was Tim Tebow, and those were his Gators.
Will he be back?

"One More Year," Florida fans screamed to him when it was over.

They don't want to let him go.

And in so many ways, they never will.

Fan Club Grumblings

Because if I posted this over on the Fan Club website I'd probably get banned and all of the Little Susie Sunshine's blowing smoke up Matt's ass would rip me to shreds, I'm doing it here. I'm also not posting the letter because of their little rule about 'not posting it offsite'. So instead I'll just rant a little in the following screed.

I read the letter that Matt wrote to the members of Backstage. Nice enough letter, without much substance, but nice enough. What bothered me about that letter is that although he mentions his brother’s philanthropic activities, activities that I find commendable and very generous, he never addressed whether or not any of the proceeds of the Jon and Friends show in February are going to charity. He smoothly slid off topic to avoid it.

He did enlighten the membership at large that those attending will receive a ‘goodie bag’. I wonder if the goodie bags will be anything like those that were given out at the last Fan Club Trip in 06, the one to Giants Stadium. Yes, I attended. Yes, I got one of said bags that were filled with old issues of the fanzine that they’d been trying for months to sell. A copy of the FC Trip DVD from the previous Giants Stadium show and a CD from The Real Life. Others got different CDs, some were autographed, others not. Mine was. There were a few other minor items in the bag, what they were I don’t recall, but my point is that nothing in the bag, save the autograph on the CD, was anything all that special. Anyone that had been in the FC long enough already had the fanzines. The DVD from the previous trip was only of interest to the people that went, since it wasn’t of the concert or the band, it was of the fans that went. I just hope that the goodie bags that are being distributed at this show are special. It would help make up for a little of the bad publicity the FC is giving the band.....although, I don’t know that the band in general actually cares about the FC or how it's run.

And that’s another point that I’ve often pondered. Yes, I know the history of the FC and why the other families are not involved in it. What I don’t know is why Jon’s family runs it in the first place. It’s not like the band can’t afford to hire a professional company to run the thing and make it somewhere fans WANT to be, want to hang out and WANT others to join, instead of somewhere people are leaving in droves. And they advertise it as 'the official fan club for Bon Jovi' and yet it's all about JON Bon Jovi. Not that I have anything against him (I'd like to have something against him...me), but there are three other official members of the band that are NOT represented.

The way it’s run over there now, a thread that was in the proper section, where a member was bemoaning the loss of her beloved cat got deleted. For what reason? It wasn’t in the band section. It was in the Other section, where it belonged. Yet, the admin thought it appropriate to take the thread down. It makes no sense when there are other threads that could be construed by some as less appropriate (although I think there is far too much censorship on that site to begin with).

Oh and my other beef with that letter, he states that the community is stronger. What the hell is he smoking? I want some of it. The community over there is being ripped apart because of the deceit, lies and broken promises made by the management of the FC, along with the high handed way they run the club. Threads get deleted because they don’t blow flowers and sunshine up the admin’s ass and the admin has the audacity to call it stronger. The only thing stronger about the community is the lack of support for the management of the club. I just wish I’d kept my promise to myself and not rejoined when my membership was up. Sigh.....Bon Jovi is my addiction.

Who's the Doppelganger?

My living room has been decorated in Harley Davidson memoribilia for at least 10 years. There is quite the considerable collection of said stuff, so it's not like two or three items. We're talking well over 100 different pieces adorning said room.

So what I want to know is WHO THE HELL is the woman inside my body today?????? She's CLEANING!!!! Not just cleaning, she's taken everyfuckingthing off the shelves in the living room aka Harley Room and has this insane idea to redo it......and remove most of the Harley stuff.

When anyone finds the FF Muse, could you please have return her to my body and evict this doppelganger???? This is most maddening.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ahhhh, 2008 is finally coming to a close. It's about time. It's been a rough year for all of us, well, everyone that I know anyway. Surgeries, accidents, near death experiences, more surgeries, family crisises, unemployment and everything in between. I'll be glad to see this year gone!

OHHHH, although the highlight of 2008 was the fact that my Rays, MY Tampa Bay Rays made it to the World Series. The team I've been watching since 1998 and have loved despite their abysmal record. Here's hoping that in 2009 they don't just make it there, they WIN it! GO RAYS!

I am looking forward to 2009 and new beginnings. May my next job be better than the one I lost in November. Then again, anything would be better than somewhere they don't believe in even cost of living raises. Enough of that, I'm all for forgetting the past and moving forward.

Perhaps in 2009 JBJ will figure out how badly his brother is tarnishing what used to be a fairly decent fan club and will do something to remedy it. And here's hoping that the MasterCard/Fan Club gig in Sayreville is awesome for those going. I hope that the good ole rock and roll will be exceptional.

Also wishing that Richie will put out some solo stuff, although it seems that the option of doing an entire solo project is yet again on hold according to his interview on MusicRadar. That's a shame, I was hoping for a solo project and a tour with just RSS!

On other fronts, may all of you have a healthy, happy, peaceful and wonderous New Year and may everything be bright and sunny for your futures.

The Muse

After Christmas Musings

Here we are two days after Christmas and already looking ahead to the new year and back to eating like a normal person. Why is it that this time of year my house becomes oversaturated with junk food? I love my friends and family and their loving generosity that includes more chocolate, candy, cakes and cookies that a single person can or should eat in a year. I am grateful that nobody gave me one of those dreaded fruitcakes....and no comments about me being a fruitcake, tyvm. My freezer is stuffed with goodies now, so I'm set until some time this summer.

I did rediscover my love for those soft peppermint balls and sticks...nothing like peppermint sugary candy that melts in your mouth almost instantly. Leaving you with that fresh, sweet flavor infusing your senses. YUM.

Another chapter of Amber is up and I've got a couple chapters of the new story almost ready for posting.....

Merry Christmas!

There is something so very relaxing about spending a quiet Florida Christmas Eve afternoon lounging in the backyard in a tank top and shorts, reading a good erotic romance novel, drinking water and listening to Jovi on my MP3. Although, if this guy had been there the reading would have gone out the window.



My kitties got a chance to come out for a little bit and they enjoyed the brief freedom....although they need to be watched like a hawk when outside or Nemesis will take off. Bounce just wanders around, sniffing and chasing lizards. Nem is a pouncer, runner and generally lives up to her name.

So....eventually, when the mosquitos decided that I was their dinner, it was time to come in. And now I need to find my own dinner. Windows are closed, Christmas lights are on and I'm ready to settle down to a lazy evening watching old Christmas movies.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!! May everything you dream of be under your tree or waiting in your bed. He's waiting.....so, have a wonderful Christmas and I'm still working on that new story.

Morning After Musings

Had a GREAT time last night. Had dinner with friends, went to Olive Garden and ate FAR TOO MUCH. And I mean that SERIOUSLY. FAR. TOO. MUCH. Note to self: Do NOT do that unless you intend to make yourself sick.

Came home, changed (and actually put on makeup and jewelry!), then my friends and I sat down with drinks to enjoy Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special (I love that guy and his puppets....especially Jose Jalapeno on a Steeek), while we waited for our designated driver to arrive. If you're not familiar with him, go check him out on You Tube....it'll be worth your time! He's hysterical.


From there it was time to go bar hopping. We started at Gators on the Pass....which was dead, but they let me in without paying a cover cause it was my birthday and the bartender gave me a free drink....cause it was my birthday (I like how that worked). Neat trick, all it took was the nerve to ask (of course, they wanted to see ID to prove it)!

So we drank our first round and headed for the Hurricane....which was also dead and didn't bother to stop. So it was off to the Green Iguana, which is always hopping and, you guessed it, it was dead. So from there (with a little pitstop in between) we headed downtown, figuring that of anywhere Ferg's would be hopping. It too was dead (wtf is going on in this town on a Friday night???? My friends blamed it on Christmas parties and the economy, go figure).

So went further down where all the clubs are and they were hopping....with 21 year olds!!! Where in hell were all the ADULTS last night? (yeah, yeah, I know 21 is an adult, at least legally, certainly not the way they were acting). It didn't take long after popping into a club that was wall to wall with these virtualy children (from my point of view anyway) to decide it was time to call it a night. Back around the block to the car (the block we were walking around has bars on every side) and what did we discover? There'd been a fight and suddenly cop cars and an ambulance were behind our car....we got the hell out of there before we couldn't.

Anyway, had a blast, didn't drink much, but laughed a lot, sang loudly to Lost Highway in the car.....and CC, you're getting BOB!!!! ;)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

Okay, enough of the maudlin stuff. Today's alllllll about me. :) I love birthdays, well, celebrating them, not necessarily the actual numbers. The older I get the more celebrations and they seem to go on for a week.

Tuesday was the first, with a dinner at my neighbors. The sweet couple that they are gave me a HUGE bear wearing a t-shirt that says "Jon Bon Beari is crazy about me!" He's ADORABLE!

Last night it was my dad's turn and we went out to dinner and he gave me a check......for the exact amount as is my age. He thought it was clever and I loved it. My father is a stroke victim and has been making huge strides towards getting stronger, the one thing that has never faultered is his wicked warped sense of humor. Hmm, wonder where I got mine?

Tonight another couple is taking me to dinner and then a group of us are going drinking.....should be an experience since none of us have a clue where the hot bars are and worse, we're all lightweights when it comes to alcohol. Never fear though, we do have a Designated Driver.

This will all be followed by a Christmas party Saturday night and yet another couple wants to take me to lunch or breakfast this weekend. Sooooo, this is going to be one long party ending next Thursday if I can stretch it out. Hey, after the month I've had, I deserve it.

The goal is after the new year to find gainful employment again, but for now, I'm looking, but not that hard......except to find those guys, now where the hell can I find them????

Beautiful Weather, Sad Day

Today is one of those glorious days that remind me why I moved to the sunny south. Up north it's snowing, two of my dear friends have run off the road in the last 24 hours (both are okay)on icy conditions. It snowed in Vegas (go figure!) and down here it's going to be 80 today. Like I said glorious day weatherwise.

On other fronts, it's a sad day. My beautiful black cat, aptly named Blackie, came to us 15 years ago when our neighbors thoughtlessly moved and left their young, pregnant cat behind. She had kittens under our porch and after adopting out the kittens we kept the scrawny, ugly cat. After she put on weight she turned into a beautiful cat that was well loved and as feisty as she was spoiled. The last few years her health has been failing and last night it became painfully apparent that it was time to put her to rest. This morning I took her, laying in her bed, to the vet and they gently took care of that for me. She's now laid to rest in the cat cemetary in my back yard with Moonshadow, Lucky and Tennessee Tuxedo. Rest in Peace, baby, you will be missed.

I'm getting there

It's been a busy few days for me. I went to Magic Kingdom yesterday with friends. I have to say that I'd seen pictures of the Cinderella Castle all lit up. My friend that works for them sent pictures of it and even though those were fabulous, they didn't prepare me for the reality of how absolutely stunning the castle is when it's lit up for Christmas. Unbelievable, the jaw-droppingly, incredibly, out of this world kind of unbelievable. If you get the chance to go see it, do so. It's not something that I ever thought I'd be stunned by. It was.

I've added a new chapter to Amber and finally Muse's Minis is a working site. It's not pretty yet, but the links are there to at least some of my 'biscuits'. Once I find the rest of them, they'll go up too. And as I said, I'm working on a new one that nobody's seen yet, so that should be here in the next week or so.

If you like what you see, leave a message, if you don't leave one anyway, so I know I'm not blogging to thin air. LOL

Later gators!

Your Muse