I had a post all typed up for yesterday…but of course I couldn’t post it…SOOOOOOO…

I’ll just update you on what’s happening in my neck of the woods.

I’m at home today…not a vacation day (I wish)…but because I’m taking care of Caleb.  He and Jonah both came down with ear infections.  Jonah is feeling MUCH better…but Caleb is well, not doing so well.  He has been VERY ill and hasn’t slept much at all the past few days.  He’s been spiking fevers from 101.2° to 103.5°!!  So…we’ve been spending a great deal of time sitting in a temped bath in order to get his temperature down to a better range.

My Mom isn’t feeling well either (which is worse than the kids being sick)…and I’ve been running a temperature the past couple of days and I’m sure that not getting any rest last night didn’t help me any at all.   But…as Mom, I will do my duty and take care of the sick ones.

Jason is working today…but will be home at a decent time at least…so that will be helpful.  He wound up having to clean up after Caleb last night…or I should say this morning like at 12:30 or so) after Caleb got sick.  I felt so bad for him…for them both.

I want my household to be well again!!!! 

I hope that you all are doing better than we are at the moment and that you have had a wonderful week and that you will have a fabulous weekend as well!!

I’m not sure as to when I will be able to get around to your sites…but please know that I am praying for those of you who’ve been needing it and that I will come visit you all as soon as I can.

Take care m’dears! 

~Maria

I didn’t watch the first one at ALL!  To be honest, I really didn’t have that much of an interest…but, Jason got me started on watching the second one…and so far I must say that it’s been, well…interesting.  Sometimes painstakingly so…but interesting none the less.

First off…I want to make clear that I agree with almost everything that Simon has said thus far regarding people in the auditions.(say what? no way!)  I’m not saying that he’s always the kindest person when telling these people what he does…but, he’s usually right on the money with how they sound.  Personally, I don’t think that I’d be able to keep a straight face watching some of those people embarrassing themselves in that manner.  I mean, how do they NOT know that they sound THAT bad?

I understand that for some, they just have NO clue that they can’t hold a tune trapped in a bucket with the lid bolted on…but they can’t ALL be that tone deaf…can they?

Another thing is…I’m from Michigan…however, the night that they showed auditions from Detroit…well…I wanted to claim another state!  OMG!!  Michigan is KNOWN for producing some AMAZINGINGLY talented performers…but not according to the auditions that were held there for American Idol.  It was truly a sad event…I think even Madonna was humiliated just watching it.

Okay…don’t think that I’m totally ragging on these people…really, I’m not that way.  Although, being a singer myself…I feel that if you are willing to put yourself in a situation that involves an audition, a television camera…and a majorly HUGE viewing audience, you might want to check with other people around you to find out if you…

A) can actually sing  (talent would be good here )

B) don’t sound like you’re dying or killing an animal 

C) have any performance skills at all 

D) have any type of style 

E)  have not only the talent…but the personality to be a performer

Not all singers can actually perform.  I’ve known many people in my life that are extremely talented singers…but have absolutely no performance skills at all.  You get them on a stage and they don’t know what to do with themselves.  Not a good combination when you’re attempting to be the next American Idol though eh?

I’ve even heard that some people believe that the bad auditions were put on by actors/actresses…but I don’t feel that some of those so-called performances could be faked…or acted out.  Do you?

I know that from experience in order to make it in the music business you NEED to have certain essentials…

A)  talent

B)  looks

C)  sense of style

D)  a gift for performing

E)  passion (a must have)

Granted…some of the bands and musicians that I’ve seen in the recent years lack in some, if not in most, of those categories…but still got signed.  Well…those are people that won’t be around in years to come.  Most musicians/performers want to be around as long as…well, Aerosmith…you know, keep it going throughout the years and still be able to get out there and compete with all of the new material and singers being produced and still kick major butt! 

Longevity is the key m’dears!!

Anyway…I’ll get off of my  now …but please, do tell me…what is YOUR take on all of this eh?

HAPPY HUMP DAY!!!

~Maria

AND THE WINNER IS….

Tampa Bay!!! 

Congrats to the SuperBowl XXXVII Champions!!!

That was a great game!!  Some of the officiating was questionable but, overall it was pretty cool!  I thought for a while there that the Raiders were just going to sit back and let the Bucaneers just TAKE it all without even putting up a fight…but they at least TRIED to come back in the 4th quarter.

(Sorry Christy…I know that you were hoping your team would win)

Anyway…how did you like the pregame show/game opener/halftime show/postgame show entertainment?

Personally I thought that whoever put it all together did a wonderful job.  I felt that the pregame show was nice and upbeat…with a latin feel to it eh?

AND, Celine Dion did a spectacular job…not to mention the absoluting stunning performance by the Dixie Chicks!! They sounded incredible!!

Shania was very energetic…so was No Doubt for that matter.  And how about them throwing in Sting at the end of the halftime show…pretty cool!!

I thought that Bon Jovi gave a great performance at the end of the game…but then again, who wouldn’t be smiling (if you’re male) with a whole bunch of beautiful cheerleaders dancing right in front of you while you sing eh?

We pretty much watched the game and munched on really fattening foods…which neither one of us needs…but hey, it’s the SuperBowl, people are supposed to pig out!!

All in all…it was an enjoyable time.

Since then I’ve been back to work and SWAMPED as usual.  The kids have come down with an AWFUL cold thing…I mean, head/chest congestion…sore throat…tummy ache…and overall yuckiness!!  I’m just praying that my little walking germs don’t share this one with Mommy…but then again, I wasn’t feeling too well this morning.  I hope that doesn’t mean I’m coming down with it as well…THAT is not a good thing.

Well m’dear friends…I will DO my best to try and read your sites at lunchtime today…if I don’t get too, I will as soon as I can.

Have a great Tuesday!!

~Maria

Has anyone else had problems with the net today???

Jason wrote a post this morning but wasn’t able to upload it because MS Explorer said that it couldn’t find Xanga…let alone his site.

Then, just a few minutes ago I tried logging on and got ON just fine…but I got the same Error message stating that “Server Cannot be Found” for ANY of the sites that I tried.  NONE would work at all!! 

Very strange!! 

I hope that all of you are doing well this fine Saturday afternoon!!

I’ve been trying to get a few things done around the house…but haven’t suceeded much since I’ve spent most of my time focusing on Jason.  He’s just too cute!! haha  Okay, I’m biased…but aren’t I supposed to be?

He bought me Premium for LIFE!  Yup…I’m a lifetime member now!  Thanks honey!

He also did a very sweet thing last night…as we were sitting there watching television (rare btw…haha), he leaned over to me, kissed me on the cheek and said, “I have to ask you a very important question…”.  I said, “Okay…what is it?”  He said, “Will you be my Valentine?”  (aaawwweee)  Of course I said YES…but it was so sweet of him to ask that way.  Don’t you think?

Okay…well, he and Caleb just got back from the store so I’ll have to go cook dinner now.  I’ll try to catch up to all of you later!!

Have a wonderful weekend and WATCH THE SUPERBOWL!! This one is going to be TOO COOL!!!

~Maria

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!!

Have you seen the entertainment line-up for this Sunday??? OMG!

Not only will this be a GOOD game to watch…and of course there are always the COOL commercials that are released that day…but the entertainment that is scheduled is unbelievable!

First off…they have the Dixie Chicks singing the National Anthem…SWEET!!! Then…Celine Dion is singing “God Bless America”…very cool…AND then they have Santana and Michelle Branch doing the Pregame Show….AND THEN…they have not one talent of the half-time show…but…TWO!! They are bringing in Shania Twain AND No Doubt!! How cool is that????!!!! 

Side note: (I just noticed that I’ve watched “Dude, Where’s My Car?” one too many times this week…haha). Sorry!

I’m really excited about the Superbowl this year!! Now…of course I was a little upset about a couple of teams that didn’t make it as far as I wanted them to in the Playoffs and all…BUT…this is going to be the battle of the pirates! A very good game indeed!!

I was looking at Superbowl.com and saw that they did a poll as to which team that people think are going to win…oh my, here were the results…

It’s not a close vote or anything is it???

So…are you doing anything special for Superbowl Sunday??

I know that some people have traditions for this day and all…so, tell me…what do YOU do for the event?

~Maria

Any volunteers to come rewrite a Site Specific Safety & Health Plan for me?

I know…wth is that eh?  I have to come up with one of these for a new cotract that we acquired out in North Dakota.  Thrilling eh?

That’s what I’ve been working on the past 2 days…and I’ve about had it with typing to be honest! YUCK! haha

Anyway…back to work for me!!

I’ll visit y’all soon and will eventually come out with a new blog…that doesn’t bore y’all to pieces!!

~Maria

Friday night Jonah went to stay at his Dad’s house…so it was just Jason, Dora, Corin, Caleb & myself for the night.  Jason came out of the bedroom around 11pm to find this in our family room. (awe)

Now mind you…the kids TRASH this room to NO end…something that drives me to the brink of insanity…BUT they looked awfully cute sleeping together on the couch!

I felt bad for Corin though…she fell asleep sitting up, poor baby.  Jason covered her up and she eventually laid down on her own.  When they awoke on Saturday they were a bit surprised themselves to learn that they’d all fallen asleep on the couch together…but it sure was a Kodak moment!

I need to know something from all of you women however…

See…Jason, of course is like no other man that I’ve ever known…mainly because he actually takes care of me.  I think that I’ve expressed this many times…and he does it constantly.  I’ve never met a man who will cook, clean and take care of four children at will for someone else…but he does it for me whenever I need him to.

Do any of you have a man who does this or am I just extremely lucky?

Have a great Monday!!

~Maria

Inquiring Minds Want To KNOW…

Why is it that some people feel that they need to leave comments on other people’s sites when they don’t really have anything constructive or relative to say?

Now…I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be honest when commenting…no, not at all.  I totally want people to be honest when commenting on my site.  I am when I visit and comment on other’s…so I expect the same on mine.

What I’m saying is…that if you visit someone’s site and don’t particularly care for what they are blogging or don’t like the way the site looks or don’t have anything to add to the blog etc….that doesn’t mean that you have to comment.

Constructive criticism is one thing…even disagreeing with what is stated in a blog is not a bad thing by any means…but to just out right be rude and demeaning…THAT is just uncalled for and not welcome.

Xanga is a place for all of us to interact with each other and learn more about other people.  It gives us a chance to voice our opinions on subjects and such…but there is a difference between using Xanga for it’s actual purpose…and using it to just be belittling and cruel.  I know that we have the option to block users now…but it’s not something that I really WANT to have to do on my site.  I’ve never been one to post anything that I felt would be offensive or whatever…but if I do, it is not intentional.

The way I see it is that we all have a right to state whatever we like on our sites.  If people like what they read or see on a person’s site and want to comment…cool…go for it.  However, if you have something to say that is inappropriate or not even pertaining to the person’s blog or is personal to the owner of the site and isn’t exactly a public topic…then please, be an adult and email the person to tell them how you feel..don’t post it publicly.  When you do that…the only person that you are making look like an ass…is YOU.

Thanks!

Have a great weekend y’all!!! 

~Maria

Detroit makes Colorado see RED
Curtis Joseph makes one of 36 saves. (AP)		Colorado wanted to atone for a bitter loss in last season’s Western Conference finals. Instead, the Avalanche continued to look like a team that won’t make it back to that point in 2003. Detroit capitalized on a mistake in the third period, answering a Colorado rally with two goals of its own for a 4-2 triumph at the Pepsi Center.

“The Colorado Avalanche were seeking redemption for a lopsided loss in last year’s conference finals.

What they got was another embarrassing moment at the hands of their biggest rival.”

Ouch!!  Yeah…that was pretty much how it went last night.  I heard the chants of thousands of Avalanche fans screaming “Red Wings SUCK” ringing in my ears for hours…while on the ice, the Avs were being subjected to yet another embarrasing loss to the Wings.  Looks like there will be no redemption for last year’s horrible playoff loss to the Wings for the Avs as to date.  They’ll have to wait until the two teams meet again on the 3rd of February to take another stab at it.

However, the Avs didn’t play poorly last night by any means…they just made one VERY LARGE mistake…it went like this…

“Colorado had already made a line change when Joe Sakic flipped a pass back to Foote, who was being replaced by Greg de Vries. Shanahan had a clear path to the goal, but Foote skated off, thinking he would be called for a penalty if he touched the puck.

Shanahan then swooped in and beat Patrick Roy to the far post with 7:18 left.”

A costly mistake made by the Avs team captain…poor Joe.  I felt so bad for him.  Now…I will ALWAYS have loyalty to my Wings…ALWAYS…but the Avs played well last night.  However, they needed work on their passing game and their conversions weren’t quite where they should be for this point in the season…and I’ve seen Roy play MUCH better than he did, but other than that they didn’t look bad.

I know…y’all are thinking…”who are YOU and what did you do with Maria eh?” LOL

Sorry…my roots are showing a bit.  In fact, I was talking to a co-worker of mine this morning (a man that supposedly loves sports…but he knows NOTHING about hockey) and he asked about the game last night.  So I told him a bit and he mentioned that he’d heard about the mistake made by Sakic…so I explained what really had ocurred.  He just looked at me as if I was speaking a foriegn language to him.  Then he yells over to my boss and says, “hey Jerry!  Do you hear Maria talking over here?  She sounds like an expert hockey analist!”…LOL…whatever!

Most men give me that response once I start in on hockey…mainly because they don’t expect a woman to be so knowledgeable about a sport.  I just tell them that I grew up watching hockey…it’s always been a part of my life in one way or another…so I should know something by now eh?

Jason and I had a blast last night!!  He sat with his nachos in his lap and his beer in front of him listening to me yack with the other fans around us as he attempted to keep up with the plays that were happening on the ice.  It was fun!  I think he realized that his girlfriend knows a little bit about the beloved sport…because all of the guys around us kept asking ME questions…haha.

My favorite player plays for the Avalanche…so it was a bit difficult at times for me…yelling for the Wings and then cheering for Forsberg every time he had the puck!  People kept looking at me like “make up your mind would ya!”..haha.  Oh well…Peter played incredible and my Wings still won…so I’m a happy girl!

Well…that’s the scoop on the hockey game y’all.

Hope that you’ve all had a great week and your weekend is even better!!

~Maria

Busy…busy…busy!!

No time…

TONS of work to do!!!

No fair…dammit!

I’ll get around to your sites soon… I promise!!

~Maria