Pool winding down

For the record, I'm still in mourning, but since one of our two leaders has asked for the update (if only to make me further face the fact of my poor Chargers' demise this weekend)....here goes...

Those friggin' Patriots (who I'd root for on any other day) beat my Chargers, taking me out of the running. The dang Ravens let us down as well. Much to Kevin's pleasure, the Saints continue to ride their emotional high (we know it's because they have a former Charger at the helm). And the Bears, well, they won. Whoopdy-dooo -- the NFC can be so blah-zay...

So, where does that leave things?

...and then there were two...

Kevin and Lin are tied at 67 points. They both have the Bears and Colts. Kevin's hopes hang on the Saints. Lin (who gets the credit even if it's her husband Harry who made the picks ;-) has the Pats. If one of those two teams win, either Kevin or Lin will win it all. If the Colts or Bears win it all, then Kevin and Lin split the $700 pot.

For those curious to see where their picks will leave them when it's all over, this week's games are worth 8 points to the winner -- 3 for the playoff win and 5 for the division title. Same points for the Superbowl.

For comparison's sake, last year's winner (my husband) won with a total of 78 points. This year's winner will max out at 83 points if the Pats or Saints win.

Now, back to mourning my poor Chargers. And to think, I need to root for those damn Pats this weekend! (Can't EVER root for Peyton Manning -- blasphemy).

The Smelt Story

Date: Sun., Oct. 27, 1996
From: John T. Halley
--------------------------

yes, its true, i was abandoned shortly after birth by my natural parents (an opera singing iron worker from detroit and a chronic cakebaker/pinball junkie he shacked up with for a while) when they were on holiday in antarctica. they threw me overboard from their cruise ship because they thought babies were weird. luckily for me, i landed on an iceburg and was soon taken in by a pair of penguins who, sadly, were unable to have children of their own. they loved me as one of their own for three weeks, but soon realised that they hated me and shipped me off to canadato a family of smelts that owed them a favor. while the smelts found me to be an inadequate example of a life form, the feelings of guilt they experienced due to their debt to the penguins compelled them to put up with me for almost six years. during this time I learned the subtle complexities of smelt society, learned to urinate, and even memorized the intricate dorsal fin-sniffing ritual of the sacred hen-teasing day festival. at teh tender age of 6, my smelt family told me that my destiny was to go and live among the bipedal halley clan, pass myself off as one of them, and grow to manhood so that I could learn the ways of man and how to scratch my bottom in mixed company without giving offense. this i have done, yet one day i shall return to my smelt brothers and lead the great smelty rebellion against humanity. i just wanted you to know the truth about me once and for all.
signed,
Oceanus smeltus uber alles
(john incubator halley)

End of Regular Season - On to the Playoffs!

Well, the regular season wraps up with week 17 standings below. I've done what I can to see who is mathematically still in the running. I'm not great with math, but I think it's down to 11 of us.

Kyle Mills is our best loser and gets his $25 back. Tony, you came close but go figure -- Lions, Panthers and Texans would all win for you in the end when you didn't want them to!

Jean, you may not have won money, but you beat Steve Martin so that has to count for something...

Dwight and Susan, after such a strong showing last year, you guys are sure on the downslide -- hopefully that baby of yours will be a Chargers fan and help you out a bit! And Dwight, KC may make it past the first week (I kind of hope, since I can't root for Indy), but they will fall again to the Chargers in two weeks for sure! Oh, and that check you owe me?...

My husband Seth went from top of the pack to middle of the road this year. He really should listen to me more;-)

Kevin -- game on...you best hope those Saints go marching on. Just remember, it's only because you have a great Charger leftover.

Sandy and Steve -- Colts are going down next week, sorry to say. It's been a fun run!

Onward to the best part of the season!

My personal playoff picks:
KC beats Indy, loses to SD
Pats beat Jets, and much to my dismay lose to Baltimore
Chargers and Ravens meet in the best game of the year and unlike last time, it's the Chargers who win out in the last 2 minutes with LT throwing for a TD to Gates.

Seattle beats Dallas and loses to New Orleans
Philly breaks my hear tearly and loses to the Giants, who get their asses whooped by Chicago
Drew Brees, former Charger, carries the Saints to an emotional win over Chicago, who's defense just can't score enough to make up for teh fact that they have no quarterback.

Saints versus Chargers is a total offesive shootout -- best superbowl in years. LT breaks all kinds of records and San Diego wins in the highest scoring superbowl ever ;-)

So what do your playoffs look like?

---------------------------------

End of regular sxeason standings
---------------------------------

61: Colleen Thomas (Winner - end of regular season)
57: Sandy and Steve Seymour; Hoover-HA-1
56: Kathy Lucciola
55: Kevin Wry; Tom Savage; Barry-HA
52: Kevin Kirby; Lin Mills; Tom D'Angelo
51: Gerry Halley; Stoli Thomas
50: Lucy Thomas; Surf Nanny; Brett Seymour
48: Hoover-HA-2
44: Don Tonachio
43: Seth Thomas; Harry Mills
42: Paul-HA-1; Bill Gordon
39: Debra Fleming; Joe Kasper
38: Paul-HA-2
36: John Halley; Paul-HA-3
35: AJ-HA
34: Jean Wry
33: Dwight Palmer; Susan Palmer; Christian Kasper
31: Scott Munday; Robert Conner
30: Steve Martin
27: Tony Lucciola
25: Kyle Mills (Winner - Best Loser)

New Years Day thoughts

So today starts another year. If I was the kind of person who made resolutions, there'd be a few to make -- write more, complain less, get in shape, create quiet space to appreciate life every day. But I shouldn't need a special occassion to make a commitment to myself, to try and improve on myself. That's something we should do whenever we need to. That being said, I am going to try to focus on some of the above items more than I have been lately.

Write more
... well, I'm writing right now.

Complain less
... I haven't said a thing about the crap-ass rain outside.

Get in shape
... despite the rain I've already taken the dogs on three walks today. I just couldn't bear going to the mountain to work out in freezing rain.

Create quiet space and appreciate life
... on a gray, dismal day, what else can you do? I appreciate the bond I have with my pups, the fact that I live in a place that can be beautiful even when it rains in January, and that my Chargers are headed to teh playoffs.

So there, some progress already!

Just updated the blog so as to add in the tags for posts. I like this feature. Will be interesting to see the categories in my life that emerge.

Week 12 results are in

Sandy and Steve -- make some room up there at the top, cause here I come!!!

Week 12 gave us some nail-biters for sure. Glad to see my Chargers still pulling out wins in the end. Cheers also to the Titans for a glorious upset of the evil Giants (all Mannings must go down!).

If you haven't paid for your trades yet, you need to get me a check by next week, or your trades will revert back to your prior picks. Last call for pay-ups...

Here's where things stand:

31
Sandy and Steve Seymour
Colleen Thomas

29
Hoover-HA-1
Kevin Wry

28
Brett Seymour
Barry-HA

27
Lin Mills
Hoover-HA-2
Kathy Lucciola

26
Tom D'Angelo
Joe Kasper
Surf Nanny
Lucy Thomas
Kevin Kirby
Harry Mills
Tom Savage

25
Paul-HA-1
Gerry Halley
Don Tonachio

24
Bill Gordon
AJ-HA
Stoli Thomas

23
John Halley
Seth Thomas
Dwight Palmer

22
Jean Wry
Susan Palmer

21
Paul-HA-3
Debra Fleming

20
Scott Munday
Paul-HA-2

19
Steve Martin
Kyle Mills
Tony Lucciola
Christian Kasper

15
Robert Conner

Week 10 - Trades are in...

So, the big trade week is over. Sandy and Steve were so confident they did not change a thing. Many people ditched the Bengals for the Ravens, others decided to hop on the Bears bandwagon. For those who made changes, please get me your payment in the next two weeks for your picks to hold.

It's gonna come down to the wire -- playoff teams will be key and for some at the top, it may actually come down to the lame little point team that differentiates you from the pick hot on your trail.

I don' tknow about you, but I'm excited!

Cheers all. I haven't yet proofed the preadsheet, so please help me with that task. If anything looks out of order, please let me know.

Go Chargers! Down with Peyton! Dominate Donovan!

(italics are teams that were traded; new team is last in list)
Results thus far:

27 Sandy and Steve Seymour Ravens Browns Colts Bears
25 Colleen Thomas Chargers Jaguars Bengals Bears Ravens
24 Hoover-HA-1 Bills Browns Texans Raiders Eagles Saints Titans
24 Kevin Wry Bears Colts Bills Rams Saints
23 Brett Seymour Patriots Ravens Giants 49ers
23 Lin Mills Patriots Bears Colts
22 Tom D'Angelo Colts Lions Bengals Saints Chargers
22 Hoover-HA-2 Dolphins Chargers Giants Saints
22 Joe Kasper Jets Browns Titans Raiders Giants 49ers
22 Surf Nanny Colts Chargers Seahawks
22 Lucy Thomas Colts Chargers Seahawks
22 Kevin Kirby Colts Chargers Redskins Raiders Bears
21 Harry Mills Bengals Chargers Giants Rams
21 Bill Gordon Bengals Colts Broncos Ravens
21 Paul-HA-1 Colts Seahawks Bills Raiders Browns
21 Barry-HA Chargers Eagles Titans 49ers Dolphins
21 Gerry Halley Panthers Colts Chargers Bears
21 Don Tonachio Colts Panthers Chargers
21 Kathy Lucciola Ravens Chargers Vikings Bucaneers Bears
20 Tom Savage Patriots Bengals Lions Chargers Ravens
19 AJ-HA Dolphins Bills Colts Raiders Lions
19 John Halley Panthers Ravens Jaguars Raiders
19 Stoli Thomas Patriots Ravens Seahawks Bears
19 Seth Thomas Patriots Panthers Bears
18 Scott Munday Jaguars Raiders Giants Panthers Colts
17 Paul-HA-3 Dolphins Giants Vikings Rams Ravens
17 Jean Wry Jets Titans Raiders Lions Bucs 49ers
17 Steve Martin Jaguars Giants Seahawks Colts
17 Paul-HA-2 Bengals Giants Seahawks Ravens
16 Dwight Palmer Chiefs Jaguars Bengals Titans
16 Debra Fleming Bengals Seahawks Patriots
16 Kyle Mills Bengals Broncos Panthers
16 Tony Lucciola Panthers Bengals Lions Raiders Texans
15 Susan Palmer Cowboys Bengals Rams Titans
15 Christian Kasper Patriots Panthers Rams
13 Robert Conner Steelers Eagles Panthers

Get out and vote!

Well, tomorrow is the big day...and I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. Time for a change and I'm feeling BLUE! I can't wait to cast my vote for the sure win of Bernie Sanders to become the first self-proclaimed socialist elected to the US Senate. I'm also excited about voting for Peter Wlech to help turn the tide for Democrats to take over the US House. I am less confident that my vote for Scudder Parker will result in a truly pro-environment governor heading Vermont, but one can dream for a REAL upset. Sad, because it shouldn't be this way. If Scudder had better campaign management and a more active and well-funded campaign, I think he could have mounted more of a real challenge to Governor Scissorhands. I am more confident that the upset surprise for tomorrow will be a sharp and energetic Matt Dunne toppling the do-nothing Lieutentant Governorship of Brian Dubie. As for things on the national front, my prediction -- Dems pick up 26 seats in the House and 4-5 in the Senate.

On another front, it's also time to make another kind of choice for those in the football pool. Trade week is upon us. This is your chance to trade one team for one team of equal or lesser value. Time to try and land yourself a playoff team if you don't already have one. Get your trades in to me by Saturday night Nov. 11th.

FOR THOSE IN THE VALLEY: Football pool meet-up this FRIDAY @ 6:30pm at the Hyde Away. Meet others in the pool, make your trades, and talk some strategy... Hope to see you there!

How the mighty have fallen

Don't even talk to me about my Chargers, or the Jets or Jacksonville or Dallas... all games that just went wrong! And what is worse -- my brother, a Ravens fan, made me stay on the phone with him during the last two minutes as my Chargers gave away their win. In my Yahoo weekly pick'em pool, I actually went 2 for 13! It's hard to be THAT wrong!

So it's Monday night and only into the first quarter of the Philly game. While I like Brett Farve, I have faith enough in Donovan and the Eagles that I'm posting the pool results anticipating their win. If I'm wrong, I'll post a correction for tomorrow.

For those who still owe me for the pool, please get in touch with me so we can get together.

Find week four results here.

Football week 3

So, did you all catch U2 on Monday night football? I still don't see them as a football kind of band (unless you're maybe talking Irish football), but the work Edge has been doing in New Orleans with Music Rising has been really great. And as always, I'm always psyched to see the boys...just wish Mom and I were headed to Hawaii to see them in December.

On to the games -- GOOD week to have NFL Ticket, as many games were exciting and close, except for those blowouts on the local major networks. Don't get me wrong, I will always enjoy watching the Giants get their asses kicked, but given the option, I'd much rather watch a close competitive game that comes down to the wire. Must admit that after a good strong start, I was pissed to see Jacksonville blow it against Indy. Surprised to see New England do so poorly against Denver. And last night, happy to see the Saints capitalize on all the hype -- while I love watching Michael Vick play, I'm a sucker for an underdog.

As for the standings, shall I try to be humble? Nah... Even with my Chargers taking a by-week, I still sit atop the pack, with Sandy, Kevin and Tommy right behind. Jean is holding strong in the basement.

Standings can be found here.

Bailey's settling in well

Well, Four days into her new life, Bailey is settling in wonderfully, as are her packmates. Bailey has started to show her playful side. She does the cutest little hopping thing when she gets excited. She's taken to chomping on her stuffed animals to calm her down and has an uncanny knack for throwing them up over her head. Just glad she hasn't started doing that with the dones she's been chewing on!

Week two football plus a new dog in our pack!

Today's update is two-fold. First, football... What can I say?!? 100% performance for two weeks in a row have me once again in the lead. This was an interesting week. The Panthers that so many of you have continue to suck to the surprise of many. The Jaguars are showing a defense that's quite dominant. Let's hope that that can translate into Peyton Manning finding himself on his ass and the Colts finding some challenge in that division. And of course my quick snapshot of this week would not be complete without pointing out WHO'S ON TOP IN THE AFC WEST? !!! Yes indeed, my Chargers continue to kick ass!!!

Standings can be found here.

On to more important things though...OUR NEW DOG!!!

Bailey joined our pack on Monday afternoon. She's an 11 year old black lab from Salem, NH. Her owner had to give her up because they were moving into a small third floor condo in the city to take care of an aging family member. They didn't feel that Bailey could leave the country setting where she had spent most of her 11 years, and clearly with her arthritis could not handle three flights of stairs each day. How lucky she was to find her way into a pack in rural Vermont where she'll live on the first floor with us and have the magic hands of her uncle John the canine massage therapist to ease her achey bones.


Bailey looks astonishingly like Stoli! At times during the drive home from picking her up, I'd look in the rear view mirror and do a double-take thinking that she was Stoli. She's a little shorter than Stoli (typical for females), and has several old person skin flaps -- two are right under each eye and look like teardrops (or eye boogies), but it's cute. I think after we switch her over to our home cooked meals and better vitamins, her coat will shine right up.

We had driven down to Salem on Sunday to do a meet-n-greet with Stoli and Lucy. On first sight, she walked right up to me and lathered my face with kisses. She does the cutest little hopping move as she kisses you. Her and Lucy hit it off quite well, with Bailey doing that little air humping lesbian move that Sammie does when Lucy is around. Stoli was rather cordial when they met and didn't even grumble or flinch when she laid down right next to him and leaned on his paws.

Stoli wasn't AS gracious on Monday afternoon when it was his turn to host her in his home. Stoli was in fact a bit short with her and snappy for the first few hours, but it was rather apparent that Stoli was in fact more pissed at me than at her. He seems to be getting over that -- the spoiled only child that he's been having mommy dog all to himself for the past three months. This morning before I left for work, Stoli and Bailey (mmm... sounds like a good drink, eh?) -- they were sniffing and barking at things together. As I type right now they are lying on the living room floor sleeping butt to butt, like little mirror images of each other.

And so we start a new chapter in our pack. Stoli, Lucy-J (yes, given the new pack we've had to add J for Jamison's to her name so that she too can have a boozey name), and Bailey.

More stories and pictures to come!

Week One and I'm on top!

Well, I know that it looks bad when the pool organizer is on top the very first week, but what can I say??? GO CHARGERS! Nice stats for Tomlinson, eh? If I did fantasy football, he'd be a must-have. And just to relish in last year's shining moment, go here for a flashback...

Thanks to everyone who's joined in our season-long fun. Each week I will post a link to the weekly standings update. Week one is here.

I was intrigued to see how many people chose the Panthers in their picks. Must mean a catastrophic injury is in their future.

So this year's pool payout is more than double of last year -- a healthy $900 at least (we'll see how that pot grows with mid-season trades). Now, as some folks may remember from last year, Dwight won the end of regular season and my husband Seth won the final. Chances of me keeping it in the family I'd say are slim this year, unless of course it's me (and I don't share!). If Stoli or Lucy wins, that's a hell of a lot of raw hides for the puppies!

A bit o' history for those new to the game -- I first learned of this kind of pool when I first moved to Vermont and a friend got me into a pool that was run by someone at Ben and Jerry's. Same model, more players. After me, my mom and some other family members donating to the pool, the last year they ran it, I walked away with nearly $2,000! Not a bad take away. But I must admit that my mom helped me with a few of those key picks tha tput me over the top. But what can you expect from mym mom the football guru, who taught me about the game, and betting at a very YOUNG age (yes, the infamy of getting busted for running a superbowl pool in 6th grade still lives on in Lavallette Elementary infamy!). Really, though, it's all in good fun.

And it will stay fun as long as my Chargers keep winning! Cheers all!

35 Activists Turn Out to Support Internet Freedom in Vermont

Internet Freedom Petition Drop Event at Senator Jeffords Office
Montpelier, Vermont August 31, 2006

*** WATCH streaming video of today's event here ***

Statement of Colleen Thomas, Associate Director of VPIRG

My name is Colleen Thomas and I am the Associate Director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, VPIRG, the state’s largest nonprofit consumer and environmental advocacy group.

Imagine if one day you sat down to surf the Internet and it wasn’t all there… Whether you were going to catch up on the day’s news, research your vacation options, or listen to a podcast, it just wasn’t there, or it loaded so slowly it seemed like it wasn’t there.

Eventually, you’d grow frustrated. You’d give up. You’d log on to a bigger, more mainstream, ad-driven website linked directly from the homepage of your big media Internet provider. And Poof – their website loads immediately!

Think the scenario is far-fetched? Think again. That’s what an Internet without Internet Freedom will be like. That’s the Internet that telephone and cable company executives dream about.

And that’s why the SavetheInternet.com coalition is here today. We are here today to let Senator Jeffords know that over 3,200 Vermont citizens and small businesses want an Internet that works for everyone, not just for the big telecom companies.

The telephone and cable company backed bill –S. 2686 by Senator Stevens of Alaska that’s going to the Senate floor in September-- threatens Internet freedom. Unless it is amended it won’t guarantee what they call in Washington “net neutrality”, but what we know as the Internet’s founding principle of Internet Freedom.

Simply put, network neutrality means that no web site's traffic has precedence over any other's – all data is treated equally and delivered from the originating web site to the user's web browser with the same priority. No fast lane or slow lane.

Network neutrality is the Internet's First Amendment and has existed for the entire history of the Internet.

If companies like Comcast and AT&T have their way, however, web sites will have to pay protection money to get into the "fast lane" or risk opening slowly or simply not working on your computer. We can't let the Internet become captive to large corporations.

From its beginnings, the Internet was built on a cooperative, democratic ideal. It has leveled the playing field so that everyday people can have their voices heard by thousands, even millions of people. Network neutrality has prevented gatekeepers from blocking or discriminating against new economic, political and social ideas. It leaves the consumer to be the decision-maker, not the media giants.

That’s how independent bloggers can now compete with CNN and USA Today for readers. It’s how Vermont small businesses can compete and thrive in today’s global economy. It’s how our kids learn about and contribute to the diverse world community. Without this freedom we all stand to lose.

Connecting to your office could take longer if you don't purchase your carrier's preferred applications. Sending family photos and videos could slow to a crawl. Web pages you always use for online banking, access to health care information, or communicating with friends and family could fall victim to pay-for-speed schemes.

Today we want to thank Senator Jeffords for coming out in support of net neutrality this week. It’s important to know that he has heard the voice of thousands of Vermonters on this issue.

Vermonters understand that the Internet is a critical engine for economic growth and democratic discourse, and they don’t want to be relegated to second class citizens on the Internet by big media corporations.

That’s why it’s crucial for Senator Jeffords to not just support the “concept” of net neutrality, but to use his vote in the Senate to protect it by voting for the Snowe-Durgan Amendment that will protect net neutrality and to vote against the Stevens telecom bill as a whole if it fails to protect our Internet freedom.

Senator Jeffords is headed in the right direction. We now need to make sure his vote is cast for Internet freedom and against corporate special interest.


See also today's media coverage:

WCAX-TV Web article

Additional pictures from today's events

Speak out for Internet Freedom Thursday in Montpelier!

*** News: Thursday, August 31, 12 noon, News Conference ***

Thousands of Vermont Residents To Deliver A Message To Sen. Jeffords: Defend Internet Freedom

THURSDAY: Local members of diverse SaveTheInternet.com Coalition will deliver over 3,200 petition signatures to Jeffords’s Montpelier Office

Montpelier - This Thursday at 12:00 pm at Senator James Jeffords’s Montpelier office, local members of the diverse SavetheInternet.com coalition will urge the senator to defend Internet freedom for small businesses and local families during an important upcoming Senate vote.

WHO: Local residents in SavetheInternet.com Coalition, including VPIRG, Small Dog Electronics, Project Harmony, Vermont Broadband Council, ACME and the Center for Media and Democracy

WHAT: Petition delivery to Sen. Jeffords – over 3,200 Vermont residents supporting Net Neutrality

WHERE: Sen. Jeffords’s office – 435 Stone Cutter’s Way, Montpelier, Vermont

WHEN: 12:00 Noon this Thursday, August 31, 2006

Big telephone and cable companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast are spending millions lobbying Congress to eliminate Net Neutrality. This rule, in place since the Internet was created, prevents Internet service providers from deciding which websites open quickly on people’s computers based on which sites pay them the most. The House already voted to eliminate Net Neutrality. In September, Sen. Jeffords could be the deciding vote in the Senate.

Over 750 diverse groups have come together as the SavetheInternet.com Coalition – including local small businesses, VPIRG and other leading consumer groups, MoveOn, the Christian Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Craig from Craigslist, musicians REM and Moby, Free Press, and others. This coalition collected over 1 million petition signatures online, including over 3,200 in Vermont. Local residents will deliver these petitions to Jeffords’s offices Thursday.

“My phone or cable company should not be telling me which websites I can open on my computer,” said Lea Woods, a resident of Montpelier who signed the online petition to preserve Net Neutrality. “Senator Jeffords has a choice—he can take away Internet freedom by turning the Internet over to giant corporations or he can side with constituents by voting to preserve Net Neutrality.”

“Small businesses like mine depends on a neutral Internet, where the website of a small entrepreneur can be viewed just as easily as the site of a big corporation,” said Don Mayer, whose Waitsfield business Small Dog Electronics has become the largest Apple computers specialist in New England by relying on the Internet for over 80% of its sales. “Without net neutrality, I doubt that Small Dog Electronics would exist today. Net neutrality is essential to one of the most important and growing sectors of Vermont's economy, small businesses that operate on the internet to extend their reach outside of our state. We need Senator Jeffords to declare his support for Net Neutrality so that small businesses and everyday families have an equal right to communicate online as giant corporations.”

Telephone and cable companies have already made clear what they would do to the Internet if Net Neutrality is eliminated. On December 1, 2005, the Washington Post reported: “William L. Smith, chief technology officer for Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp., told reporters and analysts that an Internet service provider such as his firm should be able, for example, to charge Yahoo Inc. for the opportunity to have its search site load faster than that of Google Inc.”
(Link: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1902)

Jon Stewart informed millions of his viewers about this issue (http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2015). MoveOn and the Christian Coalition wrote a joint op-ed (http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1884). For more information, check out www.SavetheInternet.com.

Rediscovery

SO, finally I am getting to where I can start writing more about what I had originally intended with this blog. When I first started, it wasn't actually my intention to post generic life updates and photos, so much as it was to post something of an online journal along the lines of the kind of journaling that used to be so central to my life.

Well, I recently rediscovered many of those old journals. See, for the past five years -- since I've been in my house -- my books and journals and many of my personal space things have been tucked away in storage (my actual apartment in the house is rather small and we just didn't have space for it all). So, alas, in the shed, my milkcrates full of books became mouse tenaments, and my journals sat collecting dust in big rubbermaid tubs. But with the completion of our garage, and my office space in the upstairs, I have finally been able to unpack the annals of my life onto homemade bookshelves in a creative space that I call my own.

It was something of a reflective process -- unpacking, cleaning up and organizing books and journals and files going back to grammar school. How thankful I am that my family has helped to save so much stuff from my past! After finally getting things taken out and put away, I was able to sit back and take it all in -- the books and tapes and titles that tell of times from my past. The many books that show just how deeply into certain things I dove. And the journals... To be able to read and reconnect with my own memories so vividly!

I spent the past week rereading my journals from when I studied abroad in Russia in 1991. I cannot express just how awesome it is that I was so faithful to journaling back then so as to capture the experiences the way I did. These were truly life-changing experiences, a witness to history. And I was smart enough to write it down, describe the sights and sounds and smells and fears and emotions and joys of experencing something so foreign from what I knew. There is so much richness and raw truth in those words that I need to make them more accessible. They need to find their way into print for others to share.

So now that I have a space, my history before me, I embark on a journey to relive, rethink and redefine myself. Maybe this is a midlife crisis? Even if I am too young for that, this is a moment of reconnecting with myself. A transition point. A chance to recommit to being who I want to be, who I think I am. What I might become.

Summer Dog Party 2006

Well, the summer dog party at Stephen Huneck's was another winning success for our extended pack. While it was a sad thing when the howling contest came to pass, we did take the time to remember Boodah, our THREE TIME UNDEFEATED HOWLING CHAMPION by placing a picture and some memories in the dog chapel.


Big congrats go to LUCY, who, following in her brother's footsteps, won her third consecutive title as BEST FRISBEE DOG. It was a close competition, with our friend Elwood coming in a close runner up.



Finally, the Halley pack made a great showing, taking home both BIGGEST and SMALLEST DOG prizes for Moose and Maynard respectively. Although they didn't have her category, if they had, I'm sure Sammie would have won for longest tongue!


Next dog party is October 8th.

Surfer girl heads home for waves

If only I were that...uh, umm, yeah, tan...
...and could still kick it...

If only I were as cool now as I was back in the day.... Let's just hope that I manage to get some decent waves this weekend when I'm home!

Sunset over Lake Champlain

Well, it's not as spectacular as over Barnegat Bay, but it'll do...

Did I mention we're in love?

I don't know exactly what has gotten into him lately, but ever since Boodah died, Stoli has found his youth once again and has been a super affectionate love pup. He's now back to being a bed hog. He's taken back his place on the throne of king beggar dogs, and has just had more energy and spirit than I can remember in years. All I know is that I'm enjoying every minute of it and I hope it lasts for many years to come. Who said 9 1/2 years was old?

9 Years Together

June 22 marked the 9 year anniversary of that fateful day when I drove up to Newport, Vermont with my friend Steve to find the puppy who would become my bestest friend and pal. It was indeed love at first sight -- among a pen full of his five other brothers and sisters, Stoli was the one on whom my gaze fixed, and Steve's as well. There was that immediate connection -- that after three months of meeting dogs in need of a companion, I knew that Stoli was meant to be with me. A long and loving drive back to the valley in which Stoli's head nuzzled deeper and deeper into Steve's lap as he gazed at me, and we came home. I soon had that overwhelming sense of "Oh my gawd, what do I do? I don't know how to be a doggy mommy!" Well, nine years into motherhood, I think I've figured out the key points:

1) When you make the commitment, stick with it, no matter what comes up. You have to be in it for the long haul, "for better or for worse."

2) Whatever the costs in money, time or heartbreak, you reap a million times what you sow. It's the best investment -- of money and emotions -- you could ever make.

3) Dogs have so much to teach us. Life becomes clearer and simpler with them in our lives. We should aspire to their wisdom about what really matters in life.