Take Me Home ... Please

My friend and fellow blogger Kameron Kiggins, of I May Have Been Born Yesterday But I Stayed Up All Night, lost his best girlfriend Claire on Wednesday January 28, 2009. Claire, who was about 16 years old, was a pet dog belonging to Kameron's brother and his brother's wife. I know what he's going through right now, having endured the death of a few pets in my ... well, let's just say many years living in this world. Being the sentimental (mostly mental) person I am, I know it can take some time to get over such a heartbreaking loss of a dear family member.

As I suggested to Kameron, eventually it may be a good idea to get another pet. Since I have a soft spot for animals, I'm including some resources that could be helpful to anyone who would like to acquire a pet or help those that have been rescued. These groups also provide information on how to give animals a better home than the current owner might be able to. Don't forget, many of these organizations get monetary donations from advertisers each time you visit their web sites. So you can often help without spending your own money.


Wikipedia's Animal Shelters page discusses the different types of shelters available.

ASPCA: American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals
I found their book very helpful in deciding the right breed of dog to get.

AKC: American Kennel Club
Use this organization to find a reputable breeder.

The Humane Society Of The United States
Heavily involved in fighting cruelty via legal action.

PGAA's Rescue Contacts - National
Huge number of adoption and rescue organizations across the US.

Pedigree - Really Good Food For Dogs.
Visit this site! After the intro, you'll see a golden retriever that looks just like my Sydney. She loves their honestly nutritious food. Syd even has this site in her internet favorites list. They donate food to shelter dogs each time you watch one of their videos!

Pedigree 2009 Super Bowl Adoption Drive Ad.



Sarah McLachlan ASPCA Ad - Brings tears to my eyes everytime.
The song used is McLachlan's "Angel".
Sarah turned 41 on Wednesday January 28, 2009.
Yeah, the same day Claire died.

Happy 58th Birthday Brian Downey

Happy birthday to Brian Downey, who became 58 years old today. This Irish drummer, was born in Dublin January 27, 1951. Along with bassist / singer Phil Lynott, Downey co-founded Thin Lizzy, one of the best bands to ever come from the Emerald Isle.

Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak" at Sydney Opera House Austrailia 1978.

What If? - Presidential Dance-Off 2008

When I came across the following video, I wondered what would've happened if the McCain / Palin ticket had been as popular with voters as Obama / Biden in the last election. I mean ... What if there had been a tie? What would have been done to decide who went to the White House? The producers of 'Dancing With The Stars' would have loved to have settled it with a dance-off.

John McCain Vs Barack Obama Dance-Off

Thankfully, it never came to that. McCain probably wouldn't have been up for that either.

Obama Becomes US President - Take 2

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. administers the oath of office a second time
to President Obama in the Map Room of the White House on Jan. 21, 2009.
Photo by Pete Souza / White House

Barack Obama was originally sworn in as President of the United States of America on Tuesday January 20, 2009. However, since some of the wording was messed up during his taking the oath, it was decided to do it a second time on Wednesday January 21st. The wording was done exactly right on the second take, making sure that Obama is officially the president.

Barack Obama Retakes Oath - ITN Video

Heaven And Hell Update From Classic Rock Mag

It's been a long time since I've posted any news about the metal band Heaven And Hell (half Black Sabbath and half Dio), so I wanted to pass along the following update. The article below is the latest from Classic Rock Magazine.

Heaven And Hell:
Classic Rock Hears Their New Songs
terrybezer / Communication Breakdown, News / 06/01/2009 16:57pm

Classic Rock has heard three unfinished tracks from Heaven And Hell’s debut album. In a world-exclusive we visited vocalist Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice on the final day of tracking at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

Some final touches were still to be added; for example Iommi wanted to add guitar solos at his home studio, and the material was in an unmixed state.

Due to be released in late April, the album’s 10 tracks were co-produced by the group and engineer Mike Exeter.

The songs we heard were a moody, thuddingly malevolent number called Rock ’N’ Roll Jesus, the pacier and more anthemic Neverwhere, and a slice of sloth-like majesty that’s likely to be titled Breaking Into Heaven.

Other tracks expected to appear include Bible Black, Double Pain and Atom + Evil.

With the band having recorded three tracks for the Black Sabbath: The Dio Years anthology and played around 100 shows as Heaven And Hell, writing began at Iommi and Dio’s houses in England and California respectively, either side of the Metal Masters tour of America with Motörhead, Judas Priest and Testament.

“Each of us submitted a CD of our ideas, and we narrowed it down from there,” explains Iommi. “In some ways it was like picking up where we’d left off with Dehumanizer [Sabbath’s 1992 album], which was also done at Rockfield.”

“I never thought this band would get back together, but here we are,” marvels Appice. “Everyone’s more mature, and when we play together it’s just a monster.”

Touring plans are currently being finalised, with appearances at the Sweden Rock Festival, France’s Hellfest and Waldrock in Holland already confirmed.

*See exclusive photos of Heaven And Hell at Rockfield Studios
in the February edition of Classic Rock, on sale Wednesday, January 7.

Change Has Come ... Hopefully

Barack and Michelle go to the new Obama House.
January 20, 2009 Photo by Associated Press.

Barack Obama II was sworn in as President and Joseph Biden, Jr. as Vice President of the United States Of America today, January 20, 2009. I am very hopeful that change has finally come, and that it will be change that proves to be good for the country and it's deserving people.

Of course, there is immediate change that is very obvious. Obama became the very first black man to to take such a high office, and I see that in itself as a great event in America's history. This paves the way for other firsts. It is now believable that anyone of any race can be elected. Surely this means a woman has a better chance of winning the presidency in the not too distant future. With these barriers down, we can concentrate on who we think would do the best job. We can forget about the worries of whether or not the person we want in office even has a chance of being taken seriously, because of some trivial and stupid fact, such as race or sex.

There are many changes we need to have happen during the new administration. We should not expect these changes to happen overnight. It's going to take time to fix our ailing economy. We want to see our military personnel return home as soon as possible, but there will likely only be a shift in the geographical concentration of troops over the next few years. There are lots of hopes and wishes for change in the hearts and minds of we Americans. I pray along with you, that "that change started today".

Inauguration: Barack Obama Sworn in As 44th President.
Coverage by the Associated Press.


January 20, 2009 Inaugaration Day - AP Video

Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech - AP Video

Remembering Janis Joplin On January 19th

Janis Lyn Joplin was born on January 19, 1943 and died way too soon - October 4, 1970. She was an amazing, powerful and soulful singer from Port Arthur, TX. Joplin has influenced many of the most popular female singers we have known, but there will never be another quite like her. I tear up often while listening to this bluesy babe, even now. Thanks for being such a rockin' wild thing Janis!

Janis Joplin - "Little Girl Blue" on This Is Tom Jones (TV show).

Jan. 19th Theatrical Birthdays - Poe, Stapleton

Theatrically related birthdays for January 19th include Edgar Allan Poe and Jean Stapleton. Both are widely known and their work enjoyed in one way or another, though probably more so by people 30 or more years of age.

Oscar Halling's portrait of Edgar Allan Poe.
Public domain photo.

Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts and died October 7, 1849. He was a writer of poetry and short stories, as well as being a literary critic. Poe is mostly known for his macabre short stories, many of which have since been made into plays and popular movies. Baltimore, MD is one of the places that he lived in during his short 40 year lifetime. It is also where he died and was buried. His grave site is visited by many on this date each year, including the famous and mysterious "toaster" fan.

Jean Stapleton was born in New York, NY on January 19, 1923. An actress of stage, television and movies, Stapleton is remembered mostly for her role as the usually dim witted Edith Bunker in the ground breaking 1970s comedy TV show All In The Family. She has won awards for playing a wide variety of characters on TV and in Broadway plays. One of her many film appearances that I remember, was a more minor but important part in one of my favorite movies - You've Got Mail (1999).

All In The Family - "The Jeffersons Move Up" (First Part)

Obama Visits Troops, Shelter, Honors MLK Jr.

Today, being the Monday closest to the actual date, is the day that the US government is officially celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was actually born on the 15th. Everyone should remember and celebrate this great civil rights leader and activist, who is mostly known for furthering the rights of black Americans. Whether you do this on his actual birthday, the government holiday, or even better - everyday, is up to you. Just don't forget what he has meant to the freedom of people, across the world.

While also visiting with wounded troops at a military hospital and teens at a homeless shelter, America's president as of tomorrow, Barack Obama took time to honor Dr. King. Here is the link to an article from the Associated Press that covers the story in detail.

Graphic found in Carmen Dixon article at BlackVoices.com.

Capitals Vs Penguins 01/14/2009 Review

Washington's John Erskine checks Sidney Crosby into the boards.
January 14, 2009 Photo by Gene J. Puskar / Assiociated Press.

Capitals 6 - Penguins 3

The Washington Capitals stopped their recent losing streak at three games by beating the Penguins in a great momentum building effort last night in Pittsburgh. The Capitals kept their focus on winning and left all the media's semi-fabricated bickering hype behind them, off the ice.

Both teams started off looking a little sloppy at first, but play tightened up as the game moved along. Washington netminder Jose Theodore wasn't looking to be at his best early on, even though he made some good saves in the first period. The referees weren't at there best either, calling a four minute double minor high stick penalty on Washington's Donald Brashear, when his stick was clearly not the one that made contact. The offending stick may even have been one of Kris Letang's teammates, from within traffic in the area. Pittsburgh scored on the power play with a slap shot by Evgeni Malkin at 5:45, for his 18th goal of the season. Malkin managed a couple hits on Alex Ovechkin, which thrilled the Penguins fans. They weren't terribly thrilled when he got whistled for interference at the 16:00 mark, after smacking Ovechkin in the head with his stick. Everyone became concerned shortly after, when Rob Scuderi blocked a hard shot by Mike Green with his face. He did not return to the game.

Things looked a little brighter for Caps fans, when Viktor Kozlov sent the puck through Marc-Andre Fleury's catching glove for his 10th goal of the season about a minute into the second period. At 8:13 however, Miroslav Satan put the Pens back ahead by one goal. A few minutes later, the Capitals answered back with Alexander Semin netting his 17th of the season. Tomas Fleischmann got the puck from the side wall to Sergei Fedorov, who sent a perfect saucer pass over a defender's leg to Semin. As Semin reached the other end of the crease, he batted the flying puck into the net. The two Capitals goals, along with increasingly confident and physical play by Washington, were starting to get to Pittsburgh, including their goaltender.

The Caps went ahead for the first time in the game, when Ovechkin potted his own rebound from the edge of the Pens goal crease. Pittsburgh then scored their third and final goal via a slapper from the point by Ryan Whitney, after Sidney Crosby sent the puck to him on a nice rink wide pass. Just after that, a temporarily rattled Theodore got nicked with a delay of game penalty. He misplayed the puck, then unfortunately swatted the biscuit out of the playing area. Luckily, he straightened out afterwards. Pittsburgh's Petr Sykora lost his cool right after a draw, and smacked Fedorov on the helmet with his stick (seems to be a common behavior by the Pens). Washington's Tomas Fleischmann scored his 15th goal of the season on the PP opportunity. He sent Ovechkin's rebound in for the game winner with a wrister, while lunging through the air toward the goal. By this point, Fleury was completely flustered, and his mates were losing it as well. At 11:27, Ovechkin banked the puck off of Whitney's skate, scoring his 29th goal of the season and second of the third period. About a minute before the end of the game, Caps defenseman Jeff Schultz ended his 72 game goalless drought. He cleared the puck from Washington's crease, and it went all the way across the ice surface and into the empty net at the other end. That made it 6-3 for Washington, adding insult to injury. Injury including Pittsburgh's Rob Scuderi, Maxime Talbot and Sidney Crosby.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Capitals throttle the Penguins. It was just icing on the cake to see Washington's players taking turns crunching both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. A totally frustrated and shaky Marc-Andre Fleury is a good sight for Caps fans too. Perhaps the most special moment of the evening was when Crosby tried to check David Steckel into the side wall during the third period and almost completely missed his mark. Unfortunately, that's when he also got hurt. Hopefully, the injured foul get the necessary repairs soon. I don't wish serious injury on any of them, much as I hate them. The first two games versus the Penguins this season have both been wins for the Capitals in Pittsburgh. The last two will be on Washington's home ice. I'm looking forward to the Capitals taking those games as well.

Happy 54th Birthday Bruce Boudreau

Bruce Boudreau, head coach of the Washington Capitals, turned 54 years old today. Happy Birthday Bruce! I hope you get the present you want, even if that's "just" a win in tonight's game. I should think winning ten straight at home, and earning an assistant coaching job for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game would be a good one. Good Luck.

Capitals Disrespected, Ted Says Get Over It

Most Washington Capitals fans, myself included, have been complaining since finding out how bad the 2009 NHL All-Star selection process went for our team. Chairman and majority owner Ted Leonsis acknowledges the disrespect, but wants us to get over it.

We have good reasons to be unhappy that Alex Ovechkin was not chosen to be a starter, and that a few others were not chosen at all. Ovechkin was last season's MVP and is currently on pace to possibly repeat. A few other players on the team are probably more deserving of selection than those chosen instead.

Mr. Leonsis, who turned 52 yesturday (hope he had a wonderful day), very wisely suggests we look at the good side and leave our bad feelings behind. After all, what good can come of dwelling on the bad. I say we take his advice and at least try our best to look at the good. Thanks Ted, for trying to point us in the right direction.

No Doubt - "Hella Good"

Rangers Vs Capitals 01/03/2009 Review

Alexander Semin heads off after fight with Marc Staal.
Photo from NewYorkRangers.com

Rangers 1 - Capitals 2

The Washington Capitals won their sixth straight game for the first time this season, in this mostly defensive match. The New York Rangers were their latest victim last night, in a game that started off uneventful, but built up momentum as it went along.

There's wasn't much to gloat about as far as the first period was concerned. You could've waited to tune in until the second period, and you wouldn't have missed much. The stats were very even, except in the hits department. The Capitals apparently temporarily forgot that hockey is a contact sport.

Mike Green scores goal on Steve Valiquette.
Photo by Luis M. Alvarez / Associated Press.

Washington's memory cleared up in the second period, and they started forechecking and putting some energy into the game at both ends. It was the Rangers who scored first however, as Petr Prucha deflected a shot past goalie Jose Theodore half way through the period. Theodore was in good form once again though, and didn't allow another puck to find it's way into the net from then on. Less than a minute and a half later, the Capitals answered back while on a power play. From the point, Viktor Kozlov sent the puck to Alexander Semin (just back from injury) at the goal line to the left of the net. Mike Green mosied in toward the net guarded by netminder Steve Valiquette on the right side and banged in a quick pass from Semin.

The physicality of the game increased throughout the second period. But as time was running out, it became clear that Alex Ovechkin couldn't be stopped. He was determined to score and put Washington ahead. With just 31.4 seconds left and the Caps down a man, he did just that. David Steckel hit Ovechkin in the neutral zone with a short outlet pass. Alex turned on the jets and sped his way into the Rangers' end. His only obstacle, Wade Redden was frozen by a pump fake. Ovie got his shot off as he passed Redden, and the puck sailed by Valiquette for the shorthanded game winning goal.

Kettle Drum played in USAF European Band.
April 4, 2005 Photo by USAF.

Neither team scored in the third period, but the entertainment level did not wane by any means. Washington's gritty forward Chis Clark had gotten into a fight with Wade Redden in the first half of the second period. Later in the second, Scott Gomez had sucker punched Michael Nylander. But the fight we'll be talking about (and laughing about) until the end of time, happened early in the third. Marc Staal was probably trying to fire up his team, when he picked a fight with Alexander Semin. Staal was probably very surprised when Semin easily got the best of him. More than 18,000 fans cheered as Staal went down on the ice, and then roared with laughter as Semin beat him like a girl kettle drum. Many others have described the instrument of Semin's pugilistic music as bongos, but clearly it was the kettle drum. The Capitals were able to hold their composure and hang on to their lead for the win.

The game was played in front of yet another sold out crowd, which I've heard gives Washington more sellouts for this season than in the entire previous season. More importantly, the Caps have gone 12-1-2 in their last 15 games. In fact, their record for the season so far is 26-11-3, which is the best ever after the first 40 games in the team's entire history. Now, that should keep the smile on Caps' fans faces for a while.

Crosby, The Asstounding All-Star

I can't believe I'm writing a post about the jerkwad known as Sidney Crosby, but here it is. Don't worry. It's not just about Crosby, and I'll keep it short. Basically, just pointing out the thoughts of a few fellow bloggers, in light of the results of this season's stupid NHL All-Star voting.

Sidney Crosby won first place, breaking the previous record number of votes. Well, good for him. However, Alex Ovechkin didn't even make the starting lineup. That's right. The league's best player will be watching from the bench when the game starts. What the fv[%? The whole process is a joke, with unlimited voting. Lets face it. The basically no real contact allowed policy of the modern day All-Star game makes it a pretty boring event these days anyway.

Over at Caps Blue Line, DMG posted a couple videos that made me think two nicknames for Crosby could easily be "Nut Job" and "Puss On Skates". Meanwhile, Dan Steinberg, of D.C. Sports Bog fumes over the All-Star voting mockery. Finally, check out Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Broudreau's comments on the matter, via Tarik El-Bashir's Capitals Insider.