The Red Sox Win the Pennant - It's a Family Thing

I don't think it will come as a big surprise that I'm a life long Boston Red Sox fan.  So let me get this out of the way first.

THE RED SOX WON THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT!!!!  WOO WOO!!!

Okay. Thanks. Had to get that out of my system.

It might surprise you to know I haven't lived in the Boston area since I was four, and since then I've lived in some pretty serious baseball towns...including Detroit and Los Angeles.

So why am I still one of the Fenway faithful?

I sometimes joke that it's genetic but that's not far wrong. My parents were Sox fans. My uncles, aunt, and cousins are almost all Sox fans. My brother - who also hasn't lived in Boston since he was a kid - is an ardent Sox fan. My younger son - who has never lived east of Ohio - has always had a Red Sox banner on his wall and his son has slept under a Red Sox blanket all his life.

For us, it's not just the team we root for, it's a family connection. Not matter where we are, we have that same touchstone. And, believe me, it hasn't always been easy. If you're a baseball fan, you've probably heard of the Curse of the Bambino - credited by many for keeping a World Series Championship out of Boston for 86 years.  A curse that was finally broken in 2004.

I remember that night. I was home. My Detroit-Tiger-fan-hubby had already gone to bed. I was sitting in front of the TV, my dad on my landline phone at my right ear, my son on my cell phone at my left, and other family members frantically messaging via the laptop in front of me. We couldn't be together but we're weren't about to celebrate alone.  After the final out, I cheered, I danced, I shared the joy.

A few days later, my uncle - who was especially close to my mom - told me he didn't know which was sweeter, the win or hearing Mom celebrating in the background when he called my dad. By the time the Sox won it all again in 2007, Mom was gone.

Now we're back to the World Series. I'll do my best not to be too distracted but if I'm a little late visiting everyone, please bear with me. It's not just a baseball game. It's a family thing.

GO SOX!!!!

Joke of the Day:

My Favorite Animal

 

Our teacher asked what my favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken." She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else laughed. My parents told me to always tell the truth and I did. Fried chicken is my favorite animal.  Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again.

 

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, so I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken. She sent me back to the principal's office. He laughed, and told me not to do it again. I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

 

Today, my teacher asked me to tell her what famous person I admired most. I told her, "Colonel Saunders." Guess where I am now...

 

All New Hump Day Funnies

Happy Hump Day.

And thanks to everyone who offered good wishes on my story being included in Chicken Soup for the Soul, It's Christmas!

Now how about some hump day funnies to get you over the mid-week hump and on the downhill slide to the weekend?

Anyone have a teenager at home? I'll bet you can relate to this one.

 

Here's a joke I like.

Ron Chestna was stopped by the police around 2 a.m. and was asked where he was going at that time of night.

Ron replied, "I'm on my way to a lecture about alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body, as well as smoking and staying out late."

The officer asked, "Really? Who's giving that lecture at this time of night?"

Ron replied, "That would be my wife."

Yeah, I'll bet a few of you can relate to that one, too. 

Here's a good thing to know.

And, of course, we can't go without our weekly "aw".

How's this?

You know you said it.

That's it. Did we get there? Are you over the hump? I hope so. Did you have a favorite?

I wish you all a lovely weekend. See you Monday.

Groaners for Today:

What do you call a knight who is afraid to fight?
Sir Render.

Why was the math book sad?
It had so many problems.

Where can you weigh a pie?
Somewhere over the rainbow.  (Somewhere over the rainbow, weigh a pie...)

Chicken Soup for the Soul - It's Christmas - I'm in Here!!!

I mentioned last week I had an announcement to make today and here it is.  

Chicken Soup for the Soul - It's Christmas was just released and includes "The Treasure Hunt" by LD Masterson. 

"The Treasure Hunt" is a story of Christmas past and present, of looking back and discovering what truly matters.

  The book was actually released last Tuesday but since I've been incapacitated for a while I'm doing a delayed announcement. If you're a fan of Chicken Soup for the Soul or looking for a nice Christmas gift or just want to give me a read, please check it out.

Purchase information and links are on the right side bar (in case you didn't notice).

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in Canada.

Happy Monday to everyone else.

Thought for the Day:

Bad decisions make good stories.  (They really do.)

A Hump Day Celebration...and Funnies, Too.

Oh dear, my first Wednesday back and I'm late getting my Hump Day post up. But I have a really good reason. Really.

I had to stay up late last night and see my Red Sox win the American League Division Series. WOO WOO! Now we're on to the AL Championship series.

This could be interesting. The other team in the ALCS will be either the Oakland A's or the Detroit Tigers. My hubby grew up in Detroit. 

Yup, it could be a very interesting weekend at our house.

But I digress. You came today for your hump day funnies.

Let's start with a picture.

This is why my furbaby's a dog.

Now some thoughts to ponder...

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

There is great need for a sarcasm font.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save my changes to the 400 page manuscript that I swear I did not make any changes to.

Office titles that make sense:

 

 

 Well, don't they?

Okay, I haven't been gone so long that I've forgotten your hump day "aw". This one's kind of a funny but I felt bad for the little guy so it was an "aw" for me.

 

How about you? A little "aw"?

That's it for today. Did you find a giggle or two to help you over the midweek hump and on the way to the weekend? I hope so.

I'm still making the rounds trying to visit everyone so if I haven't been to your house blog this week, I will be soon.

My Monday post next week may not be up until Tuesday. We're going out of town and I'm not sure I'll be able to post from there. But I have something special to tell you so please look for me.

Quote for Today: 

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. ~ Will Rogers

I'm Back and Look What I've Got

Hi. Remember me?

Yes, it's been a while. I've been a bit incapacitated but I'm trying to get back into the blogging grove and hope to visit you all soon.

The past two months were a mixed bag for me. Lots of lost time on my writing and two missed conferences I'd been looking forward to attending but there were some high points I'm going to be sharing with you over the next few weeks.

First, though, I'm very happy to be getting back to blogging by being part of the cover reveal for Stephen Tremp's latest, ESCALATION. 

Isn't that a great cover.

Here's a bit about ESCALATION:

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones” - Albert Einstein 

In Escalation, the final installment to Stephen Tremp’s Breakthrough Trilogy, a seemingly innocent discovery in Einstein-Rosen Bridges, or wormholes, becomes a Pandora’s Box—opening doors to other unexpected and unpredictable realities such as parallel universes, time/space travel, and an evil hitchhiker from another dimension.

Chase Manhattan has survived attempts on his life from numerous sources in his effort to destroy the technology. But he is far from safe. Now Chase and his comrades must not only break world renowned physicist Professor Nicholas Fischer out of prison a second time, but also smuggle him across hostile borders in Europe and the Middle East to prevent events threatening to spiral into World War III.

At stake: an end to Western civilization as we know it. The result: an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage, vying for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global as the world divides into an East vs. West climactic battle. The action is swift, adrenaline-charged, and non-stop. Unending twists and turns will keep the reader turning pages and wanting more.

Together, Breakthrough, Opening, and Escalation follow the lives of the unlikely participants from innocence to a coming of age through sacrifice, betrayal, passion, lust, unconditional love, and hope. Escalation will appeal to fans of modern-day science fiction, action, and horror.  

I know I can't wait for this release. How about you?   

I'm going to try to get around and see everyone as soon as I can. If you stop by, please say hi so I'll know you haven't given up on me.

New Word of the Day:

Googleheimer's - [goo-gle-hei-mers], noun: condition in which you think of something you want to look up, then forget what it is by the time you get to the computer

Not Back Yet

Just wanted to say a quick a hi - Hi! - and let you know I'm not able to get back to my regular posting and/or blog visiting quite yet. This silly pinched nerve is still not letting me sit for more than a couple minutes at a time so my online activity is limited to checking out Facebook on my phone. Maybe I'll figure out how to blog that way, too, but I haven't yet.  Hope everyone is doing great and I look forward to catching up with you all as soon as I'm able.

Take care.

Riddle Answers and Down for the Count

My apologies to my friends but I'm not able to put up a regular post this morning. I'm dealing with a pinched nerve and the cortisone shot and happy pills have only got me to the point where I can sit at my desk for a couple minutes at a time.

But I wouldn't make you wait on last Wednesday's riddle answers, so here they are.


1. What can you never eat for breakfast?  Lunch and/or dinner.

2. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in other hand, what would you have?  Really big hands.

3. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?  None, since it was already built by the eight guys.


Many of you got a couple of these and several of you got them all. I'll have to find some harder ones for this week.


I won't be able to visit many of you today but I'll try to catch up as soon as I'm able.


Tip for the Day: