Tuesday Tidbits

Canada's elections are over and, while the "wrong" party (for us) won, there's still good news. You can read about that at my other blog. Briefly, it looks like our Canadian marriage will be safe for the time being.

I found out that my father had been in a psychiatric center down in Elmira for a short period of time. My brother indicated to me that our father is now back at the VA center and "finally able to sit up on his own." Huh? He could sit up before, I say to myself. So, I ask Steve what he means. He says that father's lungs had been so full of fluid, he couldn't sit up. Steve also indicated that he doesn't know how father attempted suicide and hasn't asked.

Tomorrow is father's preliminary court hearing, where they'll appoint him a public defender. There's a part of me that for some reason feels the need to be there, so that he sees a friendly face. But then there's that other part of me that thinks that I can't look him in the eye, knowing what he did. I'm still conflicted -- he is, after all, my father.

Bob and Wanda have been sick with whatever crap it is that's been going around -- the same stuff Lisa had. It hit Wanda pretty hard, most likely because the woman is 72 years old. To make matters worse, Bob has suddenly developed a blockage in the femural artery in one of his legs and will need surgery very soon to correct that problem. I'll take that day off and go sit with Wanda while he undergoes that surgery.

We had a quiet weekend. Finally took the darned Christmas tree and decorations down on Saturday and reclaimed the family room (more commonly referred to as "Joe-land"). I spent the rest of Saturday afternoon and early evening playing my new Tiger Woods PGA Golf 2006 game. It's pretty cool -- you can create yourself and then, as you win money, you can buy better equipment that ups your abilities. I had a pretty good time being a turd and striking Joe's familiar pose. Lisa sat and watched the whole time, and we chatted and just had a nice, quiet afternoon.

Sunday we watched the Steelers trounce the Broncos, and Seattle win a seat in their first superbowl after handing the Panthers their asses. I make no bones about admitting that the better team(s) won. Jake Plummer's performance improved dramatically this year over previous years. He stayed in the pocket and made good decisions, throwing only 7 interceptions the entire season. Of all starting quarterbacks, he finished up 6th overall.

But, how can I begrudge the win to a guy who wears number 7 in honor of his idol, John Elway? Ben Roethlisberger has shown himself to be a steady, reliable, "get the job done" kind of guy who has become a real leader on that Steelers team. And, let's not forget, he's got some awesome resources in Hines Ward, the Bus, Willie Parker, and Cedric Wilson to name a few.

The question is, can they take the Seahawks? They're a 3½ point favorite over the Seahawks as of today. All I can say is, if both teams play in the Superbowl the way they played Sunday, it will be a fierce, hard-hitting, and exciting game. The odds-makers are showing 47 total points, but I don't think it'll be anywhere near that. It'll either be way lower because of a fantastic defensive struggle, or it will come close to breaking, if not setting, a superbowl scoring record. My pick? Pittsburgh in a squeaker.

Denver's long-time offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, has accepted a head coach position in Dallas. Huge loss for Denver, if you ask me. Kubiak was the backup for John Elway in the mid-80s, appearing in a playoff game when Elway was injured. He may not have been a big name in the NFL on the field, but has a brilliant offensive mind. He's seen Denver through the John Elway era, Brian Griese, what's his name, and now Jake Plummer. If he's got talent to work with in Houston, that will be the team to watch next year. Good luck, Gary!

Hillary Clinton was in town yesterday, re-entering the "fray" on health care and prescription costs. Our senior citizens are confused by the new policies and are drowning in sea of paperwork. In the meantime, they can't get their meds because of the cost or the beaurocracy. Health care plans in the Rochester area are among the best in the country and, when she was first lady, Senator Clinton used the Rochester model as an example for the nation. I love my health insurance, and have absolutely no issues with it. Everyone should be able to say that. Everyone should have some sort of health coverage and access to needed medications.

The Spring semester started yesterday, and I'm buried under a ton of work -- still flying solo these days. I refuse to stay after 4:00 and, if I have to, I will put in for overtime, even if it's only for 3 minutes. I will not support the decision to not fill the vacancy here by killing myself to keep the workload up.

Thank God for Prozac.