TampaBLAB

I'm not sure how many of you out there are sitting at home on this New Year's Eve like I am. Those of you that are probably aren't watching hockey, and those of you who are watching hockey probably aren't watching the World Juniors match between Canada and USA. If you're not you are missing some fantastic hockey.

The skaters on the ice aren't old enough to drink (at least in the US). Few of the names are recognizable to the average hockey fan. Some may never make it to the NHL. Yet the action on the ice rivaled anything played in a major league arena this year.

Canada stormed back from a 4-2 deficit to tie it in the third period on a short handed goal. They had the go ahead goal disallowed on a referee's questionable whistle. The five minute overtime was back and forth and saw an incredible save by US goaltender Jake Campbell as he channeled his inner Hasek to stop a shot by Jordan Eberle

Heck there were even Mounties in full uniform!

Canada ended up winning the game in a shootout and will move on to the semi-finals. The skater who scored the decisive goal was the LA Kings 6th round draft pick Branden Kozun. What makes him special? Well he had dual citizenship and had a choice as to which team to play for - the US or Canada. I believe Canadian fans think he made the right choice.

Everyone who saw the game is also a winner. If this game represents the future of hockey, then I would say the game is in safe hands.

Happy New Year! It’s a new moon tonight and will be the start of a new decade. I wish all of you the best for you,your family and your loved ones! If you are into New Years Resolutions go for it! If not, that’s OK too. I’m in the latter group, but I will always reach for better, learn new things and try to make the world a happier place in my own small way.

Thank you to everyone who has been there for me this past year, for introducing me to people, new ideas and sharing your time with me.

I’m celebrating at home tonight with my family. Take a look at my Whrrl story to see what I’m up to:

Represents clients charged with Cannabis and Marijuana Crimes, including: possession, possession with intent, "manufacture of cannabis", cultivation, grow house operations, and trafficking in Marijuana.

I had a minor surgery earlier this week to remove a cyst from my ovary. I expected to be up and about the following day but luckily those around me are much more realistic about such things. Kendra made preparations for a long week of recuperation. One such effort was returning the Netflix discs last week so we'd have some new films to watch in the down time. Usually, when I see the emails alerting me that we've (read: Kendra's) returned the last discs I go to our queue and shuffle things around to something that seems appropriate. Rough week: Comedy! Contemplative: Documentary! You get the idea.

Anyway, as I mentioned I've been laid up and therefore didn't check my mail and therefore didn't see the notices and therefore didn't edit the queue. And THEREFORE: Battlestar Gallactica. This is one of those things that I have in the queue because I want to see it but I know better than to even dream of actually having it sent to the house.

Initially Kendra's response was the expected but just after surgery when she was worn down from watching me struggle a little with the recovery she said she would watch it with me - "Just one."

Bless her heart. I held her to it and we watched the first disc which is the pilot/miniseries. When we'd been watching for quite some time we needed an intermission and she inquired to the length. I really had no idea. Seriously. Who would have thought that they'd have put the entire three hour miniseries in one segment? Not me. But I now know exactly how much she fraking loves me.

Of the 446 American soldiers who died as of Dec. 10 in 2009 as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 27 of them were Floridians.

By BOB ANDELMAN

Here’s a statement of fact I think we can all agree upon: Heterosexual men  like to look at naked women.


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You can LISTEN to this interview with JIM McBRIDE, web entrepreneur behind MrSKIN.com, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Under Surveillance

Scott And His Car
Cars And Concepts Racing Team

I hope everyone has/had a happy safe New Year’s Eve & I’ll see you all in 2010!

Cars crept by their house at night every December for 25 years. Families admired the animated creatures and thousands of colorful lights, and Bill and Dotty Cutler
greeted them with cheer and candy canes........here
RIP

As I celebrate the close of 2009 on the couch (a couch that we didn’t own at the beginning of 2009) I recall that at the beginning of the year I laid out a three prong approach to my collecting strategy for 2009. So let’s take a look and see how I did.

1. No Blasters - Well that one failed mightily. As a matter of fact I just finished busting a blaster of Heritage High Numbers. I did cut down on the number of blasters I bought, which left me more money to spend on-line for boxes.

I found out that Target is way to close for me to resist the siren song of immediate card purchasing. Since all of the loose packs are well rifled through the only option left was the row upon row of blasters. So I delved into them on occasion, and didn’t pull anything special out of them. Was it a waste of money? Perhaps, but it was still fun to rip them open.

2. Pick one or the other - Topps or Upper Deck - I was successful on this one. I chose Topps because I liked the design better and wasn’t disappointed. The base set was filled with great photography and interesting inserts. The short print cards of veterans were nice to chase (even if I haven’t gotten around to getting any of the O’s). I did pick up a few packs of Upper Deck Series One late in the year as a free throw in from Dave and Adam, but they just confirmed that I made the right decision.

3. Limit what I buy and stick to it - I did alright on this one. As I already mentioned I didn’t buy any Upper Deck Base. I also skipped Obak, UD Idols, UD X and Topps Unique. After buying a box of Allen & Ginter I realized that I didn’t really care for this years release and have started giving away as many as I can. So if you need some shoot me an email!

This definitely kept the collection down, all of my baseball purchases fit in one box which is nice. Of course, it limits what I can trade to people looking to complete sets, but I’ve managed to work around that so far.

A bonus idea was to give away 5,000 cards. I don’t think I got quite to that level, but I believe I gave away at least 2,500. This year I’m really going to focus on culling the collection, especially older hockey and all of football.

Next up - what I’m going to do next year. Big changes coming!

This is my second New Year's Quiz. Here's my first one. Thank you, again, to Linda from All & Sundry for the inspiration. She's right, it is cool to look back.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

I got paid for essays. I got a colored tattoo. I started seeing a therapist. I sustained myself with freelance work for an entire year. I started designing Twitter backgrounds.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I think I probably wanted to write more fiction. I didn’t do it this year. Again. I’m trying to keep it in mind for 2010 but I’m not making “resolutions” anymore.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister-in-law had a baby early in the summer. My cousin had a baby a few months ago. Several bloggy friends had babies.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Grandpa died in March.

5. What countries did you visit?

None!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A better understanding of my physical health and well-being.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 26th, 2009. My Grandpa died in my mother’s arms while we were driving home from a nostalgic trip to Gainesville. My dad called my cell to tell me.

April 7th, 2009. Madeline Spohr passed away.

April 11th, 2009. My son turned three.

Michael Jackson's Memorial. Not because of the Michael Jackson part, but because my mom called me while I was watching it and told me that the doctor had finally gotten her biopsy and that she needed to go to an onconlogist and start radiation in the morning. My heart shattered that afternoon. Two days later we learned that her doctor had completely misread and misunderstood her lab reports and given her a false diagnosis. She's fine now.

November 18th, 2009. My baby turned one.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Continuing to edge my way into the online community I respect and admire has been a struggle and joy for me this year. Also, these twenty things.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Getting too wrapped up in negativity stemming from online relationships and online shit. Especially that online shit that doesn't even directly affect me. Sometimes I hear this crazy boss I had yelling "I AM SO TIRED OF YOUR OPINIONS." (True story.) Ha.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a mole surgically removed in July. It was kind of a minor surgery type thing. Other than that, just a few little colds. My vagina has finally recovered from childbirth. I think.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

New underwear. Boots. Puzzles for my three-year-old. A bunch of Haribo Bears off Amazon.com. Swim lessons.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My children. Even when they’re bad a handful, I need to remember to celebrate them. Cause they’re pretty awesome. And they teach me so much.

I’m really proud of Chipmunk for making it through his swimming lessons. He’s now a vaguely proficient swimmer.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

A handful of folks on the Internet.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent, food.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

BlogHer! In fact, I got so excited I probably worked myself up into a bit too much of a frenzy. Starting with NOT SLEEPING AT ALL before flying to Chicago. Oops. But man, I was excited. I was also very excited about our trip to Disney, and I’m so happy it went really well.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Mylie Cyrus, Party in the USA. Good lord, that’s embarrassing.
Three Little Birds. (The version on Noggin.)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Much happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner.
c) richer or poorer? Financially, about the same. Emotionally, richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Read books. The paper kind. And exercised.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Devoted energy to arguments, wank and drama on the Internet.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We opened presents here under the tree. Chipmunk wasn’t too sure about his new scooter. Then we headed to my moms to open stockings and gifts with them and my siblings. Then we took a break a home while I packed. Then we went to my Aunt’s for Christmas dinner. Then we drove presents back here, dropped them off, drove four hours to Miami, and opened more presents with my inlaws in Coral Gables. In conclusion, holy crap toys.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

I stayed in love, does that count? Also I may have fallen in love with Robert Downey Jr. again.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Community, Gossip Girl, Top Chef, Project Runway, 30 Rock, the Office, Dollhouse, Modern Family.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope. I no longer respect a few people but I don’t hate anyone.

24. What was the best book you read?

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Lady Gaga.

26. What did you want and get?

A stress-free awesome family vacation.

27. What did you want and not get?

A sorrow-free year for the people I love.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Sherlock Holmes came in right under the wire. I also really enjoyed Up.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I went to dinner with my friend Andi and her family. I turned 29. George and I also threw a Rock Star Karaoke Party for ourselves since our birthdays are two weeks apart. He also turned 29.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Peaceful sleep. Still.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

“What are the kids wearing these days?”

32. What kept you sane?

Phone calls with Lauren, Awesome Pasta, tandem naps, both kids sleeping through the night, proscuitto ham, chips and salsa, when my husband does the dishes, spontaneous hugs and kisses, my ladyfriends, Twitter, naps, my Tassimo machine.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Robert Downey Jr.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Several states failing to provide gay marriage rights.

35. Who did you miss?

I miss Grandpa at the strangest times. When I see a silhouette that reminds me of him. When I hear an outboard motor. When I think about wind on the bay. On Christmas Eve. When I smell sunscreen.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I met Laurin Evans on the Internet, found out she lived nearby, stalked her, and flew to BlogHer with her. She totally saved my life on the plane and in Chicago and she has since then become one of my best friends. I adore her.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

Shit can change very quickly. Be present. Give yourself love and affection. Breathe.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“When you’re in my heart, you’re in my family.”

When it comes to selecting bubbly for New Year’s Eve consumption, I know almost as much about buying good champagne as I do about controlling nuclear fission, sewing a memory quilt and…

The other day I wrote about stupid things I did in 2009. (I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t continually goof up one way or another.)

But I did some things in 2009 that I’m really proud of. They might not be appearances on Oprah, but I think they’re pretty awesome.

1. I started writing a regular print column for a local magazine.
2. I nursed exclusively for the entire year, including pumping approximately four million ounces of milk for my trip to Chicago.
3. I got paid for writing personal essays and finally started calling myself a “writer” without feeling like a fake.
4. I faced my fear of flying and went to Chicago for three days to go to BlogHer and meet Internet people.
5. I rounded up enough freelance writing and design work to continue working from my home office.
6. I put our house back on the market for a last-ditch effort to do a short sale before it lands in foreclosure. I worked with our real estate agent and the bank to fill out about a million pages of paperwork. I’m hoping the efforts pay off in the next couple of months.
7. I started Your Mama Reviews with two local mom friends and expanded the team to include two more friends.
   
8. I got a tattoo honoring my sons.
9. I did a BlogTalkRadio interview in Chicago.
10. I started Girl Talk Thursday and expanded it to its own site with four dear friends.
11. I made enough of a noisy spaz of myself on Twitter to get Heather Armstrong to ask Bosch to give a new washer and dryer to a shelter in Utah. Neato.
12. I got back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.
13. We went our first family vacation and managed to avoid any massive blowups or fights.
14. I walked for Maddie Spohr in the March for Babies.
15. I got to know some of the women I’ve admired from an intimidated distance for a long time.
16. Avitable, a blogger I respect and admire, put me on his Top Ten List of Blogs in 2009. Recognition (from peers) for my writing makes me dizzy with happiness. Honestly.
    
17. Anissa Mayhew invited me to write for Aiming Low.
18. I faced my depression and anxiety, gave it a name, and took real steps to fight it.
19. I started seeing a therapist regularly.
20. I continued to write my own way in my own space. I still don’t know what that means exactly. My niche is not having a niche.

I don't make resolutions. But next year, I'd like to focus on writing fiction again once in a while. I'd like to submit some of my essays to journals and publications. And I plan on taking at least one picture a day in 2010.

Happy New Year, guys. With love.

I'm counting my blessing for this past year on my other blog, It Starts With Me. Writing, personal or other, all my blessings come from the same Source.

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy New Year!

Free desk, chairs, etc Curb Pickup (Davis Islands): Moving to new house. Cant fit everything. FREE STUFF on curb. ... http://bit.ly/5IaVjk

Just a quick note – for those of you who were familiar with my role as the Community Liaison with the Scrum Alliance. Effective today, my role has been transition out due to some reorganization happening. There will be announcements in the near future, but for now if you need something related to the Scrum Alliance, please contact Howard Sublett or Lowell Lindstrom.

It was a pleasure serving the community that I got to work with, and hope you all have a Happy New Year!

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Tomas Plekanec(notes) had an eventful day.

Plekanec scored at 3:32 of overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night.

“Not bad. No complaints today,” said Plekanec, who earlier in the day was selected to the Czech Republic Olympic team. “I hope there’ll be more days like that.”

Plekanec beat Mike Smith(notes) on a 2-on-1 after a Tampa Bay turnover for his ninth goal.

“I’m trying to look at the guy who’s coming with me, trying to look at him as long as I can,” Plekanec said. “Then, just a no-look shot. That’s why that shot is kind of a fluke, but sometimes it gets the goalie focused on the pass.”

Brian Gionta(notes) also scored, and Carey Price(notes) made 34 saves for the Canadiens, 5-1 on a season-high seven-game trip.

Kurtis Foster(notes) scored for Tampa Bay.

“Really disappointed the first two periods. It was disheartening,” Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said. “When you’re .500 you can’t afford to be flat.”

Gionta, playing in his second game after missing 21 games because of a foot injury, put the Canadiens up 1-0 from the low slot at 9:53 of the second. Foster tied it on a blue-line shot at 3:52 of the third.

Smith stopped all 14 shots he faced during the first, including in-close chances by Plekanec, Andrei Markov(notes) and Travis Moen(notes).

“Montreal came out and played their game and played a very strong game,” Foster said. “We made a lot of mistakes at the wrong times. Smitty did a great job keeping us in the game.”

Smith had his neck and upper back looked at after a pileup in the crease halfway through the first. His mask required repair work before play resumed.

Price turned aside Martin St. Louis’(notes) shot from low left-circle early in the third.

“I felt like the ice was a little bit tilted at times for both teams,” Price said. “We just kept at it.”

Canadiens center Scott Gomez(notes) took Foster’s slap shot off his leg in the first and then struggled skating to the bench. Gomez was back on the ice a couple minutes later and assisted on Ginota’s second-period goal, which gave him six assists and seven points over his last four games.

NOTES: St. Louis and teammate Vincent Lecavalier(notes) were among the players under serious consideration, but not selected to play for Canada in the 2010 Olympics. “When you’re told that you’re not going to participate and be in this experience, it’s hard to take,” said St. Louis, who had an assist that extended his points streak to six games (seven assists, nine points). “You’ve just got to accept it, not be happy with it. You have to move on and there’s no better way to do that than play in a hockey game instead of being at home and thinking about it.” … Montreal D Roman Hamrlik(notes) returned after missing the previous six games because of a a knee injury. … Markov assisted on Ginota’s goal for a six-game points streak (five assists, eight points). -Canadian Press --

Alright, folks. I am sorry for having to do this again, but I gotta reroute my blogging time to focus on some back end site stuff. Some of which will bring a visual change to the site you might notice. So from now until Monday I will be keeping the blogging feed low. I will still [...]

I’ve been going through some major changes in my life as it relates to my job. I guess I’m really trying to find a nice way to say: “I got laid off.” No matter how you say it, I’m facing a period of change, and it got me wondering about the Four Sisters and how they [...]

Dudes and babes, I give you: 1989's When Harry Met Sally. Mock the '80s if you want, but there is not a single film in movie history that captures both the magic and melancholy of New Year's Eve in a few short minutes. (Shut UP, Godfather II fans.)

Plus, it answers the most puzzling question of the last 100 years: What does Auld Lang Syne mean? Well, it sorta answers it. "It's about old friends," Meg Ryan tells Billy Crystal. (Cue Spearsy sobbing in his champagne cocktail.)

It's in the spirit of this heartstring-tugging ending (right up with the one from Field of Dreams -- "Wanna have a catch, Dad?" -- and of course the end of Summer School when Wonder Mutt finds Bob) that we present a monumental podcast moment:

A return to 20 years ago today -- Dec. 31, 1989 -- and the end of the '80s!

It features everything you've come to expect in a Stuck in the '80s podcast: a little schoolboy humor, tales of woe from Spearsy, shameless boasting from Sean Daly and a very special surprise guest to cheer everyone up before the clock strikes midnight. (If you're heard the show, please don't ruin the drama. And no, it's not David Hasselhoff!)

Click here to listen. Or click here to get all our shows for free via iTunes. (Or if you prefer another service, here's our RSS feed.)

Let's hope 2010 is better than that wretched mess we called 2009.

Happy New Year, old friends.

A look at Bucs list of players wrapped up in the restricted/unrestricted free agency mess

Getting special access to wildlife doesn't come around very often but when it does I always try to make myself available for images like this would be almost impossible from the public viewing areas.

I got a call earlier in the week from Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo to help them on a project they needed photographed in the free-flight aviary that contains a wide selection of African birds. I was to have free access inside the aviary where the birds can fly unrestricted all around you. It was just like being on a lake in a remote African plain and after a while, many of the birds were so comfortable they literally came right up to me to check me out.

While I can't go into specific details on the subject I was photographing (more details on that project in the coming weeks when it is formally announced by the zoo), I did manage to photograph a few of the other species of birds that while they are similar to ours here in Florida, they are very different in colors, markings and sometimes size.



The Cape Teal is found mostly in South Africa, where it is especially abundant in the Western Cape. It prefers to live in salty or brackish waters, often with dense reeds.



The White-breasted Cormorant is the only form of Great Cormorant found in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a wide distribution from the Cape Verde Islands to Guinea-Bissau and from Angola to the Cape of Good Hope and northwards on the east coast to Mozambique.



The Great White Pelican is also known as the Eastern White Pelican or White Pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It is found in southeastern Europe through Asia and in Africa in swamps and shallow lakes.



The Yellow-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is often found in Africa south of the Sahara and in Madagascar and is considered a medium-sized stork.



On my way out of the zoo I stopped by the Florida boardwalk and captured this male Wild Turkey that to date is one of the best portrait images I have ever gotten of these very cool looking birds.



In the exhibit right next to the turkeys was this sleeping Sandhill Crane which are one of my favorites for they are so tall and seeing them fly overhead with their massive wingspan is truly a sight to see.

I'll be posting the secret surprise I know you will want to see when it becomes publicly released so stay tuned!