So - we are looking for a new coach and a new quarterback...Cassel needs a place to go...Could it be he would like to stay on the East coast. Bill Parcell could come out of the office - Gruden might be interested as well, it seems. I have to say I don't feel a bit sorry for Mangini. What a sad game. Great for Dolphin fans, though.

Had a great Christmas -- got totally spoiled by Don, as usual. Found some GREAT deals on the new "Black Friday" as well. I am looking forward to the New Year - spending this week getting the house organized and weeded out so that I can go into 2009 with everything in it's place. Also plan on dusting off the treadmill and hopping back on board to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Product endorsement from my peep

My good friend Bethany recommended a product to me while shopping in Target one day and I am IN LOVE! If you haven't already, you MUST try Dove's new cream oil skin moisturizer. AMAZING!! I have never been into using lotion everyday and my skin certainly reflects it - since I tried this I am moisturizing like crazy and what a difference. I don't think it's just because I am doing it - I think it's what I am using. LOVE IT!!!!!

Not looking good for the home team

Holy Crap Mangini!!!! Let the *(#&%$*# kicker do his job. There was NO reason for him not to kick again with a 5 yard penalty. It would have become a 1 possession game and at least perked their "we CAN do this" brain. Favre couldn't get on the same page with his own receivers and every hit he took he deserved! When he finally threw a long enough ball there was no one who wanted to catch it and keep it! And the fumbles...didn't know the Keystone Cops were still playing. I am sooooo disappointed in them!!! Everyone is entitled to a bad day but Mangini needs to either get his cranial-rectal inversion reversed or go work for Detroit! I hope Santa forgets where he lives!

Let it snow, let it snow...MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy crappola with the snow...enough is enough. Romantic on Friday thinking of being snowed in and watching movies on TV, went shopping Saturday morning early - Don said he would be certain I was a crack addict if I thought I was going anywhere Friday - shoveled Saturday morning, shoveled Saturday evening, it started snowing again at 5 a.m. this morning (yes I was up) and I just got done shoveling again! OK - to be fair, I only shovel the deck, but still...I feel bad for Don - he's been out there for hours! hee hee. Everything is wrapped and under the tree - the J-E-T-S are holding onto playoff hopes - the Dolphins are up and it's a blowout in New England! We will see how jolly I am after the game. Hope everyone had a safe and relaxing weekend!

Cookies :-) YUMMO!

I did my first cookie exchange. What a great idea!!!! All you have to do is figure out how many people are participating (we had 6) and then make that many dozen of 1 kind of cookie. Everyone else does the same and you end up with 6 dozen different kinds of cookies. How easy is that?

My Christmas shopping isn't complete yet - heck, it's barely started...Don and I have a plan though. Since it is supposed to snow 2" per hour starting at noon, we are going shopping at 3. No one should be as stupid as us, and if it's just not possible, we are going tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn. I am sure we will avoid most humans with our plan and still preserve our Christmas spirit.

It could happen to someone else, but why?

OK - so I go to the store today to pick up some supplies for cookie baking. I went to Aldi's in Johnstown and surprisingly it went well - no one stood in my way, no one butted in front of me or parked in the middle of the aisle reading the contents while I tapped my foot impatiently and sighed. The cashier was super friendly and quick. Just when I thought it would be my first visit to that store that went my way...Yeah. RUNAWAY AMISH HORSE AND BUGGY!!!!!

It was pretty frightening - I saw the horse and the man come through the parking lot in my rear view mirror and I could tell it wasn't going to be good. I opened the door, grabbing my cell phone to call 911 and then got back in my car just in time to not be hit by the whole shibang. The horse turned, the buggy toppled over on it's side and the whole thing went over the poor guys leg. I got out of the car (leaving it running, with the door wide open and a satchel of cash in my purse) and started running towards the horse and buggy, which was headed up the parking lot directly into 10 a.m. Saturday traffic on 30A. Thank God the horse got his leg caught in the rope and the rope was under the axle of the buggy or this wouldn't have ended well at all.

Are Amish allowed to speak Non-Amish people? Neither the man nor the girl with him would speak to me. I had the horses halter and so did the girl. The horse had his front leg through the rope which was tied to the front of the carriage and then fastened to his halter. Why, I don't know. So the girl is trying to hold the horse and untie the rope which was pulled so tight you couldn't budge it. I told her to hold the horse and let me get the rope - asked the guy for a knife - no response. Asked the guy if he needed a doctor - no response. Told him to give me a fucking knife (they must respond to vulgarity because he pulled one out of his pocket) and cut the rope from the cart. Then we couldn't get the horse to move because he was frightened and the carriage was buried in the snow bank. Finally the man pulled him forward enough to move and got him into the parking lot and we pulled the buggy up behind him. They wouldn't let me help after that - Just kept telling me they could take it from there.

This all happened in the middle of the parking lot entrance to Aldi's on the shoulder of 30A at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning at Christmas time. DO YOU THINK ANYONE STOPPED TO HELP? No, they didn't. Shameful.

After returning the flour they lost out of the buggy to them and making sure the license plate I found with the flour wasn't theirs (I actually asked them if they had to register the buggy with DMV, what was I thinking?) we went our separate ways. I cleaned off the license plate on the back of the truck parked next to my car and sure 'nuf, he was missing the front one. I didn't bother to go back in the store to explain the situation to "the customer driving the grey Dodge Dakota" - I just put it next to their driver's side door and drove away.

I am not sure if I should have called the police to report a hit and run or not...

It's Christmas on the blog:-) It's not too hard on the eyes, I don't think. I don't know what the colors are for New Year's though.

We would rather have nothing, thank you.

So the bailout for the big 3 flopped on the Hill. They were asked to cut salaries...they said no and so did the Hill. In this economy, I am glad people feel comfortable saying they want it all and won't settle for anything less. If my employer gave me the choice of keeping my job, a roof over my head (even if it wasn't the most expensive roof), health insurance and a pension - but said I had to work for 3/4 of the pay, I would say THANKS and go back to work. I know what people think they are worth and that they should be compensated for their efforts, but if it comes down to 3/4 or nothing, wouldn't you take 3/4 and hope that down the road the other 1/4 would come back? We are back to the 70's in relation to unemployment, the market is in the crapper and recession is a best case scenario right now because Depression is the only other choice.

For the first time in 5 years neither my husband nor myself is getting a Christmas bonus. We aren't pissed off about it because a bonus should never be expected...We are both glad that we still have jobs and so far they haven't asked for 1/4 back. I consider my health insurance and all the other benefits I get a huge bonus. As a matter of fact, I am looking at a substantial pay cut by choice to not have to carry the beeper anymore after the first of the year. It all depends on what the economy continues to do and whether or not Don's company decides he is expendable.

Have a great day!

Hey...

Ya know what I want for Christmas? $103.50 - that's what I just bid on a serving bowl on Ebay. I was playing if I can't have it neither can you, and well...they don't want it anymore. I just hate when I am outbid by $.50. Of course, I pushed it as far as I could and although the serving dish is AWESOME and I have never seen one like it, I don't think mashed potatoes would taste any better out of it than say, a Pyrex bowl. Apparently Don reads this on a regular basis, so there is no telling how much longer the keyboard is going to work before he shuts me down, so make the checks out to cash and send them along:-) And if you don't hear from me, I will be at my second job slaving away so I can continue to be an Ebay junkie:-)
Have a great day!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
I have been very good this year. I voted when I should have for what I believe could help the country. I went to work every day I was capable of doing so to support my family, pay my bills and live my life in the style I have become accustomed to. I have tried to be as nice as I could be to the people in the world I don't really care for. I haven't quit smoking yet, but neither has Mr. Obama, so I don't feel so bad. I am trying, though. My address is the same as last year when you came, so you know where you are going. I would like the following for Christmas this year:

• An IPod - I must be the only person in the free world without one
• A puppy - Shorthair and voiceless a must - my husband doesn't like dogs, so I will have to hide it. I will name him Sparky.
• New Brakes - apparently I am what they call "rough" on mine because it's the second time in a flippin' year they need replacing!
• Clothes - you can give me a gift card and I will pick them out, though. Last year they were a little "ho-ish" with all due respect.
• Oh, yeah - and a Golden Parachute. Don't really know what it is, but I think you can get one off Capitol Hill if you don't have one.

I will leave the cookies under the tree again this year - hurry and make me the first stop if you want any peanut butter ones...they go fast once I go to sleep. Merry Christmas!

Love,

debby kilcullen (formerly Lang if you need to check my references)

Durf

Plaxico Burress...what is there left to say? Regardless of the fact that...he shouldn't have been out at a nightclub due to team "rules", even if he was listed as inactive for the game on Sunday. He shouldn't have been carrying a gun...even if he did intend on registering it at some point, maybe. But, when it is announced that the only reason he shot himself is because he was wearing sweatpants and the gun slipped out of his waistband and he went to grab it, shooting himself in the thigh...that is just DURF!!! Obviously he wasn't wearing socks, or he could have stuck it in the top of one of them. And more so, what the hell was he doing in the hottest nightclub in NYC in sweatpants? Has he no pride??

John Stewart rocks! His show is not only entertaining, it is exceptionally informative and very much worth watching.

Have a great day!

Not so bad:-)

My weekend on call is over in 3 hours and it wasn't bad at all. So far only 1 call out and that was for this afternoon. I did get worried yesterday morning when the snow and sleet started and went through 'til last night. Bad weather always brings staff who will find any excuse not to work.

How 'bout them Jets? For the love of Pete, Mangini - keep the red flag in your pocket or switch glasses. Not that a time-out would have helped yesterday...What up with the D? Disappointed, but they were playing a worthy opponent and will get them next time.

In the season of giving and celebrating friends and family, why would Verizon make a commercial such as they have, or actually a series of commercials, showing one friend shaking down another for a babysitters number and blow-darting her other friend...over the possibility that there may only be one phone left at the store when they get there and she is going to be the one to have it? Could this be the reason that people are getting trampled to death or shot in the head over the last $5 Barbie during this shopping season. Irresponsible advertising and shame on Verizon!

The halls are decked and for cripes sake, the walls are washed. I spent all weekend confined to the house with the beeper and got some stuff done! The house is rearranged, all the laundry is done, every dish is clean and put where it belongs, the tree is up and looks GORGEOUS if I do say so myself, the presents that have already been purchased are wrapped and under it and all I have left to do is wash the kitchen walls this afternoon! And decorate outside, but how hard is it to hang a kissing ball and put a mat down? Yeah for me:-)

Have a great day!