Missing Barry and "Chicken Parm"

It's the best time of the year! Last night I watched Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC (do not even get me started on the fact that they don't carry the first two games; I guess I'll just be grateful for what I can get). It was a great game, but I am disappointed to say that NBC has hired two of the biggest dorks I have ever seen to do commentary.

I don't know who the main guy was (and I really don't wanna know) but they've got Mike Milbury doing color. Now, I must admit to having an ounce of respect for a guy who, as a player, went into the stands, removed a spectator's shoe and beat said spectator with said shoe. That, my friends, is hockey! No place for wimps on the ice or in the stands. But his dubious record as a coach and GM, and his misplaced sense of hockey coolness, left me wanting to vomit last night.

During one of the period breaks, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was invited on to chat with Mike and his fellow dorkmeister. Apparently during one of the Capitals' playoff games, Mike had made the following comment about Ovechkin, "If it looks like a dog and barks like a dog, it's a dog." That has to be one of the most inane comments ever made in the history of the sport. I don't even know what that could possibly have meant! Ovechkin smartly turned it into a compliment saying, "I do play like a dog."

At the end of the interview, Mike had the audacity to tell Ovechkin to get a haircut! Um, buddy - if you don't like it, become a golf commentator and leave my hockey boys alone! Sheesh.

I so miss Barry Melrose and Ray Ferraro (AKA "Chicken Parm"). Heck, I even miss John Buccigross now! IMHO, Barry Melrose is the best sports commentator on the face of the planet. Watching hockey on TV is just not the same without Barry. Put it this way - Barry is to commentating on hockey what Wayne Gretzky is to playing hockey. And Chicken Parm was the perfect sidekick for him.

NBC - wise up and get Barry for your NHL broadcasts next year. He rocks! See? Melroserocks.blogspot.com.

HOCKEY RULES! GO PENS AND WINGS! BRING ON THE CUP!

Checked Bag Fee

American Airlines is now instituting a $15 fee for checked luggage, apparently in an attempt to offset the rising cost of fuel. This has created more of a PR nightmare for them than if they would have just raised their rates $15, but who am I to say? Oh wait...I AM someone to say being a PR professional! HA HA!

This is just another instance of how we the people are suffering for the greed of the oil execs. Why don't the airline executives, or better yet all transportation executives, push back on the oil companies? Our country is being held hostage by one industry. Everyone EXCEPT the fat cats at the oil companies is suffering. Instead of going to work to earn money to buy things we need, we're going to work to buy gas to get back to work.

How does this make sense?

Moved

Phew! I am all moved in to my new place. Many thanks to the crew - Andrew, Chris, Daniel, Gayle, Mike, Tim and Tracy. I could not have done it without you guys! All in all, everything went without a hitch. We had perfect weather, two trucks, four boys, four girls, one cat and A LOT of stuff. The only moment of panic for me was when the boys decided it would be easiest to move the couch out over the balcony - but they were right, and all went safely with no damage to couch, truck or persons.

Almost everything is in its place, and Jack and I are settling in nicely. He napped quite a bit yesterday to recover from his stressful weekend, but he seems to be doing just fine. I am LOVING the new place with convenient access to laundry - I've already done six loads!

I'll post some photos once I get everything unpacked and placed.

Take care,
Cindi

Oil Execs Before Congress Again

The big oil executives were called to testify before Congress again today. You can read all about it here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/Story?id=4895104&page=1.

In summary - Congress wants to look like they are doing something, but they are not actually doing anything to help us. To be fair, I did get an email response from my Congresswoman last week, and she did outline some steps that Congress is trying to take. It doesn't seem like they will have much effect though. Our only choice is to cut our gasoline consumption as much as possible and support the development of alternative energy sources.

Anyone have a horse to sell cheap?

Enough Is Enough

I have had it! Gas was $3.94 this morning! It cost more than $35 to fill the tank of my Honda Civic and it was still about a quarter full!

Yes, that's lots of exclamation points before 10 am, I know, but I am peeved. I just emailed the following letter to my senators and US representative:

This morning, it cost more than $35 for me to fill my gas tank. I drive a Honda Civic.

I earn a fairly decent salary, and gas prices are now having a detrimental effect on my budget. I am single and support only myself, but there are many families raising children and trying to own homes that earn the same or less than I do. I cannot begin to imagine how much they are struggling right now.

Enough is enough.

There is absolutely no reason why consumers should be paying so much for gas when one oil company made a profit of $10.89 billion in the first quarter of this year.

It is time for immediate and effective action as the situation can be described as nothing short of price-gouging.

I will be paying attention, I will be voting and I will be blogging.

Thank you for your immediate attention to and action on this matter.

You can easily contact your senators by email through www.senate.gov. To find your representative, go to www.house.gov. You will need your ZIP + 4, which you can find here.

It's time to tell them - "no mas!"

Cindi

Be Mad - Be Very, Very Mad

Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump

Check out this ridiculousness. When will these fat-cat oil execs get it?

"Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image.

The American Petroleum Institute, the industry's main lobby, has embarked on a multiyear, multimedia, multimillion-dollar campaign, which includes advertising in the nation's largest newspapers, news conferences in many state capitals and trips for bloggers out to drilling platforms at sea"...(full article from The Washington Post at link above or here). (Emphasis mine.)

Wasting millions of dollars on advertising is not likely to produce anything but the opposite of the result they are hoping for - don't fall for it!

Trying to reduce my blood pressure,
Cindi

My Faith

A recent conversation has inspired me to spend a little time writing about my faith. I am a Christian; I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross as punishment for my sins and through His resurrection, I have received the gift of faith and the promise of Heaven. As a Lutheran, my beliefs can be summarized as follows (in quotes from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod website):

"Grace alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly. "

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9


"Faith alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him."

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – Ephesians 2:8

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5

"Scripture alone
The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine."

It greatly saddens me when the sins of humankind drive others away from faith, and this happens all too often. We must not forget that churches are run by humans, and all humans are imperfect. Only God is perfect. The problem is that this imperfection sometimes leads people away from God.

The conversation I mentioned earlier happened a few days ago, when best bud Chris told me that her church started to offer care for special needs children while their parents attend the service. Apparently this came about after her church received several calls from parents asking if it would be OK to bring their special needs children with them; they had been asked by other congregations not to return because their children were too disruptive. Unbelievable. Chris' church had the right response.

Unfortunately, this is not the only shameful story I have heard:

-In high school, a friend of mine had an uncle who was excommunicated from his Catholic parish for failing to tithe.

Money/greediness of the church is probably the biggest reason that I hear for people not wanting to attend church or have a relationship with God. Here's the thing - you don't have to go to church to have faith, but it is easier if you regularly meet with a group of fellow believers. I think of it like re-charging my battery. All week long, I am drained by the worldliness around me and by my own sins. On Sunday, I attend service to refresh my spirit and renew my faith.

Churches, like your own homes, need money to operate. I have previously served on the budget committee of my congregation and had the opportunity to see where each and every penny was spent. If you have questions or concerns about how your church is spending money - ask! If you don't like the answer, seek change or seek a congregation that spends in line with your beliefs of what is right. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, "Thou shalt spend $10,000 on decorations for your church each year," or anything like that. Those decisions are made by humans.

And then, of course, there is the too-often too judgmental/self-righteous attitude of many Christians.

-A retired pastor once complained to me that his high-school age grandson had bleached his hair blonde. WHO CARES?
-This same retired pastor made the assumption that my father was Catholic because of his last name and proceeded to lecture him in a very insulting fashion.
-How often do we encounter people criticizing or even espousing hatred of others for being homosexual, pro-choice, liberal, whatever?

Some Christians sure do like to get up on their high horses! And while it's disappointing, I beg of you to remember that this is not the example that Jesus set for us. He spent time not with the well-respected and wealthy; he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes!

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. - Matthew 7:1

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. - John 3:17

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? - Luke 6:41

The truth is, we are all sinners. The Bible provides guidelines for living our lives because God knows the pain we will feel if we don't follow them. They are not for us to use to judge and condemn other people. That's God's job.

This has been a very long post, and I thank you if you've stuck with me to the end. If you have any questions or would like to talk with me further about Christian faith, give me a shout.

God bless,
Cindi

Life with Jack

Jack is one smart and funny kitty. Since his arrival in February, he's become more and more comfortable with me. He's gained a pound or so and looks much healthier than he did when he first arrived.

The plastic rings from the tops of milk jugs rank as his current favorite toys. He's learning to fetch, which I encouraged at first. Now I'm not so sure if that was a good idea as he's bringing me toys in bed!

Yesterday evening, the coffee table became a playground for the first time. Now, I'm not overly uptight about my furniture, but I'd really prefer that toys not be on the coffee table. But everything is a matter of degrees. I'd take the coffee table over having my bed turned into a playground at 2 AM any day!

This past weekend, Jack discovered the television. I was flipping past "Funniest Pets and People" and he was fascinated. He left his perch on the back of the couch and ran right up to the TV, peeking around the side and pawing at the screen to try to get to those other animals.

Every day seems to hold a new discovery for Jack and I enjoy seeing his reactions. Can't wait to see what he'll do in the new apartment.

Cindi

P.S. Marty continues to be in my thoughts almost constantly, but having Jack around has definitely helped to turn those thoughts into fond memories instead of grief. I'll never forget my fuzzy grey baby!

Writing Skills

I am currently serving on the Blues Ambassador Scholarship Committee for the International House of Blues Foundation in Cleveland. Yesterday and this morning, I reviewed twenty or so applications from area high school students to determine which of them should receive a $10,000 college scholarship.

The application requires the students to write an essay, and as a former English major, I cannot overlook grammar and form. I am pleased to report that this year's applicants have done a much better job than last year's, but I am still appalled at the number of grammatical errors and improper use of language in the majority of the essays - essays written by students with GPAs of 3.5 and above, who have placed on merit and honor rolls at their schools and who have completed Advanced Placement English classes!

Perhaps I am being too picky, but it is just so hard for me to accept that these students should be graduating from high school with less than exemplary communication skills. Reading and writing are fundamental for ANY job. If you can read and write well, you can learn to do anything.

I have known hiring managers to discard resumes upon discovering one grammatical error in a cover letter, and I have done so myself. After all, if you can't achieve perfection when you are selling yourself, how sloppy will you be when representing the organization?

Think about it.

Cindi

Spending My Time

Over the past two years, I have struggled to find meaning volunteer work to which I would be able to commit. I think it's important to give back to the community, but I also think it's necessary to be able to stick with whatever you sign up for.

Two weeks ago, I went through training to become a therapeutic horsemanship volunteer at Achievement Centers for Children. The therapeutic riding program is for children and adults with special needs.

So far, my experience has been wonderful. It's a commitment of one hour per week on an evening when I rarely have to work late, and there's nothing that needs to be done outside of that one hour. I show up at the barn, sign in, greet my rider, stay by his or her side through the class, say goodbye, sign out and go home.

Not only do I leave with a good feeling of having helped someone, I also leave knowing I've just had an hour's worth of exercise! And it is most amazing to watch the students in the riding class. My class has 4-6 students, some as young as three years old. In the short time I have been with them, I have seen that "disabled" is a misnomer. I now understand why some people encourage use of the term "differently-abled." This is a much more accurate description of the abilities of these children.

It's also quite fun to be interacting with horses on a regular basis. I enjoy being around these beautiful, gentle animals. I never realized that horses yawned or tripped - not from difficult terrain, but from tiredness or laziness! Some days they don't feel much like picking up their feet either - I can certainly relate.

So I feel pretty good about how I am spending my time these days. Hope you do too.

Cindi