What with the kids testing yesterday, and then the party today, this weekend was shot.

The kids got their Orange belts! I’m so proud of them.

And Angela did great! She looked so sharp. I’m jealous! I’ll post pics later.

I’m so tired. I knew that there was something I didn‘t miss about hockey season. Now I remember, it’s staying up so late!

Ok, just watched “The Amityville Horror” (2005). Very bad. Number one, I can’t get over Ryan Reynolds as the dad. I just kept waiting for him to crack a joke. There was one saving grace about casting him though. The tub scene. Wow. What a hottie!

Number two, I don’t know what the fascination is with remaking old horror classics just because now we can add CGI and even more eye-popping special effects. Not saying the original was a classic, just saying. Leave well enough alone folks.

Number three, they spent way too much time on the whole Rev. Ketchum thing. I don’t remember that being in the original, but if it was, shame on them. There was no need to show the natives being tortured, etc. Just gore for the sake of gore.

So all in all, a big thumbs down from me. There’s two hours of my life wasted that I’ll never get back.

Hi. My name is Chris and I’m a Puck Bunny. Or so I’ve been told. By a lot of people. But I’m in good company. My good friend Stephanie is a bunny, too. So we’re starting our own PBA chapter. But what makes us Puck Bunnies?

I did some extensive research, meaning I spent 5 minutes Googling it, and found very little in the way of definition. According to wikipedia.com, it’s listed as Canadian slang. It’s listed as:
Puck Bunny — A young girl who pursues hockey players; a groupie of hockey players.

Well that rules me out! I’m a 34 year old married mom. I’m not young, and I’m certainly not pursuing anyone! And I’ve never been a groupie. I’m as straight-laced and boring as they come. I’m a computer geek, so everyone should know better.

Despite these glaring facts, everyone insists on calling me a Puck Bunny. Doesn’t matter how many stats I know, or how many games I see. Because I have a favorite player, and he’s not ugly as sin, I’m a Puck Bunny. Now, I’ve seen Stephanie’s favorite players, and they do nothing for me, so maybe she should lose the label.

Everyone knows who my favorite players are. I almost mugged someone to get Travis Banga’s jersey at auction, with help from my sister bunny. And I’ve got Mike Modano stuff all over the house. It’s not at all a secret. But even when I tell people that I was a fan of Travis’s before I ever saw his face, it doesn’t matter. Or they just plain don’t believe and give me that “Sure you did” smile. I was watching Travis skate at his first home RiverKings game and telling my family how well he was doing, and that we should keep our eyes on this guy. I thought that night that he was a great player and that he would do some impressive things. And lo and behold, he did. And that was when he had a helmet on. And with all the pads who can tell what these guys are shaped like underneath. So despite the fact that all I did was prove that I have an eye for spotting rookie talent, I get labeled a Puck Bunny. Unfortunately, I can’t defend my Modano fetish. I saw his face first. Of course I was younger then, so maybe I’m an recovering bunny.

Now does this mean I’m not a fan of all the RiverKings? Heck no! I think Don Parsons is so generous he’d give a sick kid the enamel off his teeth. So would Kenny Goetz, if he had any teeth. And Derek Landmesser is so sweet when my daughter runs up to him to get a hug. She has a huge crush. She’s a Puck Bunny in training. All the RiverKings have a special place in my heart.

So does this make me an even bigger Puck Bunny? I don’t just limit it to one or two players but two entire teams? What if I like one division over another? I think all that’s irrelevant. I think it’s just because I’m a woman. I see men wearing Sakic or Hull jerseys, and no one calls them bunnies. Why is that? I can’t have a favorite player because I’m a woman? Or are my favorites too good looking? Would I be more credible if someone beat Mike Modano with the ugly stick? It’s not like I walk around talking about how fabulous they look. I care about how they play. I won’t deny it, it does make them easier to look at if they don’t look like something out of “Dawn of the Dead”, but that’s not the deciding factor. If they’re good looking, it’s just gravy. Just like the men folk, I care about the game. Maybe we’re all Puck Bunnies. Maybe we should rejoice in our bunny-ness. I’ll have to talk to Stephanie, maybe we should get some t-shirts and a secret handshake. And maybe we’ll let some of you guys in on it, too.

~Chris Schmied
RiverKingsFans.com

It’s finally hockey season. Here in Mississippi even Mother Nature knew it was time to hit the ice and it cooled down overnight. The NHL started playing 5 days ago, and it’s been great having games on TV every night. At least in my house it’s given us another reason to fight for the remote. And since we’re here in Hernando, and we’re not independently wealthy, we won’t be attending any NHL games anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong, we’d like to. I’m a Stars fan, and he’s an Avalanche fan (don’t hold it against him), but we’d still like to drive to Nashville to see a REAL hockey game. Or at least that’s what our friend Mike calls it. He’s in Nashville. He’s also a huge Preds fan, and a season ticket holder. And he loves to call and rub it in. Now, how he came by these season tickets is something of a mystery to me. He’s a poor computer geek like me, so either he’s been pimping out his dog, selling plasma, or he mugged some real season ticket holder. My money’s on the dog.

But I digress. This is about Mike and his definition of REAL hockey. See, according to Mike, despite the lockout last year, he still has it oodles better than we do. Because we don’t have a REAL hockey team. Oh, we have fooled ourselves into believing we do, what with our cute little CHL team, but the RiverKings aren’t REAL hockey. In “The world according to Mike”, we may as well be watching women’s lacrosse.

Here’s what I can’t get Mike to understand. I’m thrilled to be a RiverKings fan. To me, and plenty of others around here, they’re more than a hockey team. These men mean a lot to us. They pop up at community events, they help out whenever they’re needed, and well, they’re just nice guys. Do I think the RiverKings are the only CHL team this fabulous, or is it indicative of the league? I don’t know. I hope that somewhere in Austin there’s an Ice Bat helping to build a playground. And maybe in Lubbock there’s a guy taking time out to have dinner with a fan’s family, just to make some kid’s day. And if they’re lucky in Bossier there’s a player feeding fans, raising money for charity while helping to get a friend’s restaurant noticed.

Now some might argue that NHL players are just as fabulous. I’m not saying they’re not charitable. But they’re not regular guys. That’s what I like about the RiverKings. They’re regular guys who happen to be talented enough to get paid to play a game. They know it. And I’ve heard at least one of their girlfriend’s remind them about how lucky they are. But I think overall, they know it. And they don’t walk around with their heads in the clouds looking down on us mere mortals. They appreciate the fans. And this is where they differ from the so-called REAL hockey players. As gracious as it is to paint “Thank You, Fans” in the ice at all the NHL games, is it sincere? I for one am a little skeptical. It would sound a little more honest to me if there had been some games played on that ice last year. But to see so many players “keep up their game” for overseas fans, it’s hard to remain so loyal. But as I’m sure everyone’s noticed, hockey fans are as loyal as they come. I’m sure it didn’t slip by the NHLPA that 11 of the 15 games played on opening night were sold out. So we worship these guys. It’s apparent to everyone. And it’s hard to be humble in that kind of environment.

So I’ll let Mike keep thinking that he has it better than us. When he calls to ask us what we do to get our hockey fix, I’ll just smile. Let him tease. I know that I can’t change his mind. He doesn’t get it. He’s never been to a player dinner. He’s never seen a Kenny Goetz kind of player, who works another job in the summer but can still make time to come to Kid’s Day to make my daughter’s face light up. He’s never seen Don Parsons’s coach kids at street hockey out of the goodness of his heart. Mike has never had the pleasure of seeing Derek Landmesser serve sandwiches to my family. Mike can have his “REAL” hockey, because we’ve got something better.

I don’t know if I’m going to bid, but it’s interesting, to us pastafarians.

Flying Spaghetti Monster brooch pin [spagetti, FSM]

I can’t believe this. I go to donate blood and I got denied. I’ve donated blood like a zillion times, but not today. Apparently now if you’ve lived in parts of Europe, including Germany, during the 80’s, you might have been exposed to Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease, aka Mad Cow Disease. I lived in Germany from 86-89 so I’m definitely out. I can’t get over this. I’ve been back in the states since 1989! You’d think there be some kind of grace period. Like I’ve been back for 16 years, so I’m obviously not a mad cow!!!

What’s worse is I actually argued with the blood lady. I wasn’t really dying to give blood, but I was trying to do the responsible thing. Then she rejects me and I’m all fired up about it. I was arguing with her about how long I’ve been back, I was a military dependent, etc. I was fighting to donate blood! Then a coworker walked in to donate and it hit me. I was fighting for a band-aid and a cookie.

So I left, rejected. Knowing that no one will ever want my blood. I feel like eating a hamburger.

Here’s a link to the why I can’t donate

Didn’t see the whole game, but I stayed up long enough to watch Dallas turn it around in the second period. What a great comeback!

Down 4-0, Stars shoot past Kings with five unanswered

DALLAS (AP) — Local hockey fans thought they had it bad waiting 17½ months to see the Dallas Stars play a game that counted. It got worse just 4:18 into the NHL’s return when their team was already down by three goals.

Then it was four goals before the first period even ended.

But on a night meant to be all about the fans, the Stars sent their sellout crowd home happy. Philippe Boucher capped the club’s biggest rally since 1997 by banking in a goal off a Los Angeles player with 4:46 left, giving Dallas a 5-4 victory over the Kings on Wednesday night.

“From an entertainment factor, we held up our end tonight,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said.

With a crowd of 18,532 eagerly greeting the first home game that counted since April 14, 2004, the Kings seemed like party crashers by beating Dallas goaltender Marty Turco with their first, third and fifth shots. Newly acquired Jeremy Roenick scored twice in Los Angeles’ early barrage, then Dustin Brown stretched the lead by scoring with 8.1 seconds left in the period.

Tippett said the coaches discussed during the first intermission whether to pull Turco, whose 1.91 goals-against-average is the best in league history for anyone playing at least 100 games.

“Instead we challenged him and decided to see what would happen and we challenged the rest of the players to bail him out,” Tippett said.

The Stars responded quickly. Jason Arnott scored on a power play early in the second period, then Sergei Zubov followed with two more quick goals against Mathieu Garon. The second came with a man advantage, too, which was key because Dallas went 0-for-5 on the power play in the first period.

Los Angeles faced 10 power plays in the first two periods and four more in the third. Although the Stars didn’t get another goal on them, the accumulation took a toll on the Kings.

“We spend the whole night killing penalties, it’s going to catch you,” Roenick said. “It wears guys out.”

Arnott had three assists, while Zubov and Bill Guerin each had one. Guerin scored the tying goal midway through the third period when he redirected a long swat by Stephane Robidas.

On the winning goal, Boucher crept up along the right side and knocked the puck to the front of the crease, where Arnott was camped out. It never got to him, though, because it hit the player defending him and rolled past Garon.

“We gave them the game,” Garon said. “We were up four, but in the second period we took a couple penalties, the momentum changed and they were on their game.”

The fans were, too.

The Stars tied together the return of the NHL from its lockout, the 12th anniversary of their home debut and the league’s new fan-friendly approach by having a fan who was celebrating her 12th birthday drop the ceremonial opening puck.

After punctuating the national anthem with their usual emphasis on the word “stars,” the crowd turned silent when Los Angeles started scoring then turned surly when the goals continued. They booed the team on the way to the locker room for the first intermission, which Boucher took as a good sign.

“That meant they were into it,” he said.

But they remained in their seats and were loud when the comeback was rolling. The first hearty chant of “Let’s Go Stars!” barely preceded the tying goal. They went bonkers after the go-ahead goal.

“I’m so glad we came back,” Boucher said. “They didn’t deserve the effort we gave them in the first.”

Even Roenick called the crowd “impressive.”

“It was a great way to open up after a long layoff, a great way to come back,” he said.

He added his own personal welcome back by taking five stitches above his left eye.

“It feels good,” he said. “I feel like a hockey player again.”

Turco finished with 25 saves and Garon 16.

Sean Avery scored the Kings’ other goal.

….or does anyone else find this obscene?

The Crime of “Unauthorized Reproduction”
New law will require marriage as a legal condition of motherhood
By Laura McPhee

Republican lawmakers are drafting new legislation that will make
marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana,
including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do
become pregnant “by means other than sexual intercourse.”

According to a draft of the recommended change in state law, every
woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother throu gh assisted
reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation,
and egg donation, must first file for a “petition for parentage” in
their local county probate court.

Only women who are married will be considered for the “gestational
certificate” that must be presented to any doctor who facilitates the
pregnancy. Further, the “gestational certificate” will only be given
to married couples that successfully complete the same screening
process currently required by law of adoptive parents.

As it the draft of the new law reads now, an intended parent “who
knowingly or willingly participates in an artificial reproduction
procedure” without court approval, “commits unauthorized
reproduction, a Class B misdemeanor.” The criminal charges will be
the same for physicians who commit “unauthorized practice of
artificial reproduction.”

The change in Indiana law to require marriage as a condition for
motherhood and criminalizing “unauthorized reproduction” was
introduced at a summer meeting of the Indiana General Assembly’s
Health Finance Commission on September 29 and a final version of the
bill will come up for a vote at the next meeting at the end of this
month.

Republican Senator Patricia Miller is both the Health Finance
Commission Chair and the sponsor of the bill. She believes the new
law will protect children in the state of Indiana and make parenting
laws more explicit.

According to Sen. Miller, the laws prohibiting surrogacy in the
state of Indiana are currently too vague and unenforceable, and that
is the purpose of the new legislation.

“But it’s not just surrogacy,” Miller told NUVO. ” The law is vague
on all types of extraordinary types of infertility treatment, and we
wanted to address that as well.”

“Ordinary treatment would be the mother’s egg and the father’s
sperm. But now there are a lot of extraordinary thing s that raise
issues of who has legal rights as parents,” she explained when asked
what she considers “extraordinary” infertility treatment.

Sen. Miller believes the requirement of marriage for parenting is
for the benefit of the children that result from infertility
treatments.

“We did want to address the issue of whether or not the law should
allow single people to be parents. Studies have shown that a child
raised by both parents - a mother and a father - do better. So, we
do want to have laws that protect the children,” she explained.

When asked specifically if she believes marriage should be a
requirement for motherhood, and if that is part of the bill’s
intention, Sen. Miller responded, “Yes. Yes, I do.”

A draft of the legislation is available on the Health Finance
Commission website

http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/prelim/HFCO04.pdf

The next meeting of the Health Finance Commission will be held a t
the Statehouse on October 20, 2005 at 10 am in Senate Chambers and
is open to the public.